The Orange Buffalo

The Old Truman Brewery

Brick Lane

London

E1 6QL

I am often grateful for the friends I have in London who are willing to go try out food with me, regardless of where it is located or whether there is any choice on the menu. I can basically say to P, hey, I heard of a place doing [fill-in-the-blank], and he'll say, when can we go? And this is how we found ourselves at a buffalo wing truck in East London for lunch. Those who know me (or have read previous entries like this, this and this) know that one of the things I crave is buffalo wings. While living in New York, I would have buffalo wings at least every couple of weeks, if not more frequently. The sudden absence of them when I moved to London was noticeable and I did make efforts to track them down, but they were pretty much always filthy (and not in a good way). All of this to say, I freaking love buffalo wings, and thank god The Orange Buffalo loves them as well. Not only do they do an original sauce, we also tried the Woof Woof which included scotch bonnet peppers and an array of spices that made for a slightly more complex and definitely more spicy experience. The wings were meaty and chickeny, and freshly fried before being tossed in the selected sauce. Fries and onion rings were also crisp and greaseless, and the blue cheese sauce, celery sticks and drink completed an admirable lunch deal for £6.50. If I could get them to park outside my house I would.

Mushroom Caviar

So J makes this amazing mushroom caviar. It's her mother's recipe, I think, like many good recipes are, and it comes out every Thanksgiving, placed strategically around her flat with pita chips to dip in. One year Andy's mum was at J's Thanksgiving and asked for the recipe - ever since I have had a copy of it. Now it's coming to Christmas in Suffolk with me as a lovely snack. Ignore how unappetizing the picture is - it really makes up for that with loads of rich mushroom-y flavor.

Mushroom Caviar
Adapted from the Great J

Ingredients

500g fresh mushrooms
1 medium (1/2 c.) onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 eggs, hard-cooked
2 Tbl parsley, minced (original calls for 1 Tbl)
2 Tbl butter
1 tsp thyme leaves (original calls for 1/8 tsp)
1 Tbl brandy (optional)
2 Tbl mayonnaise (optional)

Method

Rinse, pat dry and finely knife-chop mushrooms or coarsely grate in food processor. (I put all the mushrooms and the onion in my mini food processor to save on chopping time). In large skillet melt butter. Add mushrooms, onion, salt, thyme and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until all liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. (I find this takes longer than 10 minutes - I did a double batch today which definitely took about 40 minutes). Add brandy. Stir constantly until brandy evaporates, about 1 minute. (I omitted the brandy step). Cool. Reserve 1 egg yolk. Finely chop remaining one whole egg and one egg white; add to mushroom mixture with mayonnaise (which I also omitted) and parsley; mix well. Turn into 1 1/4 cup container; cover and chill. At serving time, pack into small serving bowl or unmold onto lettuce or serving plate. Using a small fine-mesh sieve held directly over serving bowl, press reserved egg yolk over top.

Morito

32 Exmouth Market
London
EC1R 0

More fun with A's mum! Since the sun was shining and we were thinking about a little snack before a late dinner, A and I brought her to Morito for a few tapas and an afternoon drink. We selected four dishes: salt cod croquetas, mussel empanadilla, crispy aubergine with miel honey and potatos with chilli and cilantro sauce. All of it was lovely but the potatoes were a real revelation. I don't know what they do to those things, but they were perfectly cooked and the verdant green sauce on top made me wish for a basket of bread to mop up every last drop. I will be back and I am always choosing Morito over Moro, no matter what anyone else says!

Chicken Valley Farm Stores

Pike Place Market

Seattle, WA

Call me crazy (or Chinese) but I love chicken gizzards and hearts. When I heard that there was a little stand inside Pike Place Market selling fried chicken gizzards and hearts (and liver), I was determined to hunt it down. Chicken Valley Farm Stores also sells "normal" fried chicken (N & V shared a drumstick and liked it so much that they brought K back a couple of days later to have more) but I was concentrating on a tray of mixed fried gizzards, hearts and liver. Crispy (and surprisingly ungreasy), these were a huge treat for me. If only somewhere in London would do this...

Spuntino

61 Rupert Street
London
W1D 7PW

P is my eating buddy. We meet, we eat, we catch up on things, we eat some more. This time we agreed to eat at Spuntino. We did not regret it at all, even though there was a short wait for two spaces to open up next to each other. The whole menu looked desirable, but sadly with just two of us, we had to make some choices. Duck ham salad, truffled egg toast, shoestring fries, pulled pork slider, some kind of lentil/sausage dish - we gobbled it all down, but what really won us over was the fried stuffed olives. Savoury green olives stuffed with the briny punch of anchovies, then breaded and deep fried. We kept returning to them until one bowl was gone, which we quickly replaced with another bowl. And then we both dreamt of them until we passed by a few weeks later and were able to pop in for some more. In my last meal on earth, I want these fried stuffed olives to make an appearance.

Pumpkin and Rosemary Muffins

J saw this demonstrated on the TV and also happened to have canned pumpkin lying around, so this became our Saturday afternoon baking project. These muffins are more savory than you might expect, but the combination of rosemary and pumpkin is pretty inspired. The original recipe calls for roasted cubes of pumpkin - I think the puree probably makes the muffin fluffier and more uniform. I love pumpkin in all forms though, so this was certainly very enjoyable, even with the tweaks.

Pumpkin and Rosemary Muffins
Adapted from Baking Made Easy

Ingredients

60ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
180g self-raising flour
130g wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch salt
3 fresh rosemary sprigs, finely chopped
2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
100ml plain yoghurt
275ml milk
1 tbsp honey
240g pumpkin puree
handful pumpkin seeds

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Oil a 12-hole muffin tin and line with 12 squares of baking paper. (I don't think you actually need to oil the muffin tin - isn't that the whole point of using the baking paper liners?!) Push the squares down into each hole so that the paper sticks up.

Sift the flours, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Stir in the salt and rosemary. (Reserve any wholegrain left in the sieve.)

Meanwhile in another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, eggs, yoghurt, milk, honey and vegetable oil until well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold the ingredients together, but be careful not to over-work the mixture.

Sprinkle the reserved wholegrain and the pumpkin seeds over the muffins. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20–25 minutes, or until the muffins are well risen and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Serve and eat at any time of the day.

Harold's Chicken Shack #62

636 S. Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL 60605

Harold's Chicken Shack #62 is part of a chain of many Harold's Chicken Shacks all over Chicago. This one happened to be on my walk home from where I was working, and I saw that perch was included in the list of foods sold on the awning. Lake perch is a specialty in the Great Lakes area, so I decided to treat myself to a little snack. I ordered a piece, and they're freshly fried to order so I had to wait for a few minutes before it was ready. I was offered hot sauce to go with it, so I dipped a couple of pieces in, but I think it was so tasty on its own that the hot sauce was unnecessary. The lake perch was moist and the breading seemed like a light cornmeal crust - a nice crisp crunch that gave way to the fresh, flaky fish. I wish I had more time to try other things - I noticed fried gizzards on the menu as well - but alas, I couldn't stay. Next time I see one of these places, I'll be in to try more.

Garrett Popcorn

Garrett Popcorn is a Chicago institution - you'll see them scattered all over town and no one can get enough of it. K took me there after lunch to make sure I had my authentic experience of The Chicago Mix. A small bag is still enormous, and what makes it special is the mix of cheesy popcorn with caramel popcorn. Many of my friends will know that I have issues with mixing salty and sweet, and while I did have a couple of bites with cheese and caramel together, I definitely preferred them separately. I ended up pouring it into a bowl, eating all the cheesy ones first, and then finishing with caramel for dessert. This stuff is incredibly moreish, so watch out - you may find yourself finishing a bag even though it seems impossible at the start.

Bear Moon Bakery & Cafe

401 S Main St
Boerne, TX 78006

While wandering around Boerne, A and I passed by this little bakery and had to stop in. The first thing A said was "cheesy pigs", and I agreed immediately. We were planning on having lunch so we only got one to share - the bakery warmed it up and we went outside to continue walking. One bite into this, though, and we stopped in our tracks. The sausages had cheese inside them, and the bread was soft and perfect. We scarfed it down greedily, then debated getting some more, but in the end, reason won out and we kept moving. Secretly, I wish we had just bought an entire bagful and skipped the relatively bland lunch we had later on.

Baba Ghanoush

Baba ghanoush is incredibly unattractive, but thankfully tastes so nice that it makes up for its ugliness. I had aubergines (eggplants) on hand and thought the easiest thing to do would be to prick them with a fork and stick them on the grill. Once the skin had blackened and the flesh was soft, I scraped out the innards and put it in a food processor with a clove of garlic, a couple of spoonfuls of tahini and some lemon juice. Salt to taste, and keep tasting and adding other ingredients until you hit the right balance of smoky/tart/nutty/garlicky-ness, and serve. Easy peasy.

Locopops

2600 Hillsborough Road
Durham, NC 27705

M had the brilliant idea of stopping at Locopops since it's the perfect antidote to hot weather and an un-air conditioned car. Their whole gimmick is unusual popsicle flavors. I picked out a lychee and lemongrass popsicle and stuck in in my mouth, only to realize it was so cold that it froze to my inner lips. After I managed to pull it out (while M laughed hysterically at me) I found out I had pulled off some skin and was bleeding from my popsicle injury. Ridiculous. It didn't stop me from enjoying the popsicle (though much more carefully) and ordering a ginger beer float popsicle afterwards (I justified this because both of my popsicles only came in small sizes, rather than the large size). Highly recommended - just don't hurt yourself like I did.

Mulberry Manor

6a Broad Street
Lyme Regis
Dorset
DT7 3QD

I have met the devil in food form, and he is a Scotch egg. From Mulberry Manor, to be precise. A was very hungry and begged for one as a snack while we were waiting for lunch. After sharing one, we immediately headed back for another - the crisp, breadcrumbed exterior combined with crazy good sausagemeat wrapped around a hardboiled egg was impossible to resist. This turned into a Scotch egg addiction that had to be fed every day. In fact, I even woke up a mere 5 hours after going to bed, still incredibly drunk, and walked 15 minutes with A to get a Scotch egg before heading back home and passing out again. I credit that Scotch egg with saving me from what should have been the most vicious hangover but instead was just a drowsy, limp one. Point is, if you walk by this shop, stay far away from the Scotch eggs, unless you want to find yourself spending every minute of your waking days in Lyme Regis plotting out how to pass by the shop as many times as possible.

Drinksfusion @ the Cobden Club

170 Kensal Road
London W10 5BN

The Cobden Club is a private members' club in West London, though on some evenings they have gigs that are open to the general public. I am generally biased against private clubs, but since Qype was holding a cocktail and canapé event there, I trudged out west and had my name checked at the door to make sure I wasn't some ruffian trying to harass people posher than me. The event was really more about Drinksfusion, a company that combines cocktails and food for parties. To that end, they had some specialty cocktails that were being generously poured all evening, as well as little shots of drinks that were paired with the canapés.  The salmon with poppy seeds above was great, as was the seared tuna paired with watermelon shots. I was concentrating a little bit too hard on the bellinis and gin cocktails (read about the drinks here) and before I knew it, giant trays of chocolate fondue were being placed on tables. Strangely, the chocolate was not hot, though it was still liquid - aside from this odd temperature, there's not much that can go wrong with dipping fruit in melted chocolate. During a quick chat with one of the founders, I was reassured that Drinksfusion is not only for corporate accounts - they claim that their drinks only run about 3-4 quid a head at a party, which is pretty reasonable if you're doing something special. Seeing as how they are so passionate about their food and drinks, I bet you wouldn't have to worry too much about your event if they were the ones running it. 

Caffè Nero

60-61 Trafalgar Square

London
WC2N 5DS

J and I were meeting up before a matinee of Enron and popped into the local Caffè Nero for a drink and a snack. I was tempted into ordering this cupcake, which was weird because 1) I don't really like cupcakes and 2) I wasn't hungry. Sadly, this cupcake did nothing to help either of those issues - it was pretty dry and sweet and exactly what I wasn't looking for. I should remember never to order cupcakes - the only ones I've ever liked were homemade.

Smoked Mackerel Pate

A's mom made this fantastic pate while we were visiting for the weekend so I got the recipe from her before returning home. The next weekend was a big party so I made an enormous triple batch of this - it went down well with crudites and breadsticks and crackers. If you like smoked mackerel, you will like this - just make sure when you're using the food processor that you really get all the fish blended in until smooth - it's much nicer without lumps.

Smoked Mackerel Pate

Ingredients

350g smoked mackerel
150g greek yogurt (I used Fage fat free)
1 tbsp horseradish sauce
juice of a lemon
black pepper

Method

Place mackerel and yogurt in a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer contents to a mixing bowl and add horseradish, lemon and pepper to taste. Chill. Serve with crackers, breadsticks, or crudites.

Haxenhaus zum Rheingarten

Frankenwerft 19
50667 Köln

The marvelous Cologne Welcome Card gets you all kinds of discounts - to museums, restaurants and bars - and it also serves as a 24 hour public transport pass. For our €8 per person cards, I estimate we saved at least €50 between us. Haxenhaus zum Rheingarten is one of the places we visited along the river to get our free Kölsch. Since we were getting our beers free, we ordered the Flönzthaler (4 Stück) as a snack. Sadly A and I have no German skillz whatsoever and thus did not know that we were eating blood sausage, sandwiched between dry slices of pumpernickel rye bread. At the time, all we knew is that we both did not like this dish at all, and now that I am back home and translating what I ate, I am even more disgusted.

Brauhaus Sünner Im Walfisch

Salzgasse 13
50667 Köln, Germany

Embarrassingly, we only went inside Brauhaus Sünner Im Walfisch because of the enormous glass tubes of beer they had propped up in the window. You can order 3 or 5 liters of beer here, and it comes in a massive tube with a little tap at the bottom so you can keep filling your glass. Sadly, we were not brave enough to attempt such daunting quantities of beer and ended up just snacking on a Cologne specialty, the Halve Hahn. Contrary to its name, which translates as half a chicken, there is no chicken in this snack. Rather, it is just a roll with semi-mature Gouda cheese (and onions, though ours came without). The roll was warm and crusty and the cheese was good, but in the end, it's just a cheese roll. Probably best for late night snacking after too many Kölsch.

Ditsch Pretzel

Ditsch
Köln Hauptbahnhof

Ok, I realize I have just posted three pictures of pretzels, which may be a little bit over-the-top. However, this is only because I want to make sure no one else makes the same mistake we did, which is to buy the first pretzel you see when you get into the train station in Cologne. That would be the bottom picture, a large pretzel to the tune of €1.60. It was sad, dry, and most definitely not fresh. About 5 meters away, at another shop, we noticed a pretzel machine making hot-out-of-the-oven pretzels (middle picture). For only €0.60! So we immediately put our first pretzel away and bought another one, which is the top picture, because my goodness, the difference between a fresh pretzel covered in plenty of salt and an old pretzel with a paltry scattering of salt is like night and day. The fresh pretzel place is called Ditsch. I beg you, make sure you get your pretzels from a hot pretzel oven. Don't be dumb like me.

A et H Jourdan Patissier

Rue de la Convention
Paris

Apologies for the lack of firm address, but I can't find this patissier anywhere online, and the photo I took of the exterior only says "A et H Jourdan Patissier". Anyway, we were walking along Rue de la Convention from Commerce metro to Parc George Brassens, so it's somewhere along there. I was on the lookout for macarons, having found a canele the day before, and this was the first one we spotted. It was larger than I expected, almost filling the palm of my hand. A nice, crispy exterior broke through to a smooth, sweet chocolate filling. A tried a pistachio one and liked it as well - I have no idea how she restrains herself from eating these goodies every day! It definitely satisfied my sweet tooth though - one of these large macarons is more than enough for a snack.

Aux Désirs de Manon

129 rue St Antoine

75004 Paris, France

While rambling around the Marais, I kept an eye out for canelés. I happened to see Aux Désirs de Manon and lo and behold, a lovely pile of canelés were inside. A plumped for a pistachio éclair, and the other A got a pistachio marshmallow. What a nice way to keep your energy up when on a long walk. My favorite of these three was the pistachio éclair, surprisingly, as I'm not always that fond of pistachios. It may be blasphemous to admit this, but I preferred the canelé I had in Primrose Hill to the one here - this one was larger and dare I say, blander, with a less crunchy exterior. Ah well, I am just being picky, it was still good.