Raw Vegetable Pad Thai Salad

Ashamedly, I love hearing about the newest health food craze. I even recently bought two litres of aloe vera juice thinking I was pre-empting the 'next big thing'. Damn you, Holland and Barrett one penny sale. I'll now be taking teaspoonfuls of the stuff until the day I die.

As you might have been aware, one of the latest trends was to eat everything raw, or, as the advocates preached via glossy instagram snaps: 'as nature intended it'. So obviously, and fairly self-consciously, I gave it a go.

Here is the recipe for a raw pad thai vegetable salad that was actually delicious. Honest.

p.s. I don't own a spiraliser, for some reason I'll buy aloe vera but not utensils - so just use a peeler/chop finely and keep going at it, you'll feel like you've earned it more that way.

Ingredients:

- 1 courgette, spiralised/peeled/julienned (you just want thin strips of it)
- 1/2 a red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 carrot peeled/thinly sliced
- 200g peeled broad beans
- handful of sesame seeds

For the sauce:

- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 thinly sliced garlic clove

All you do is: in a large bowl mix together all the prepped veg, in another mix together the sauce, pour over, and scatter with sesame seeds.

It's super yum, healthy and pretty filling. Although I have an insatiable appetite and so had mine with some homemade pitta and aubergine dip on the side. No-one likes to be hungry.

Enjoy!

- J

London - Gordon's Wine Bar

If you ever find yourself wandering along the Strand, searching for a new spot to meet friends for after-work drinks, or indeed, have a Tinder date looming and have no clue where to go, (no smirks, Tinder happens), then Gordon's Wine Bar is the perfect place to wile away an evening.

The back entrance resides hidden along the long cobbled Villiers Road that leads towards Embankment Station, far down on the left, through an unassuming gate. If you weren't looking, you wouldn't think to notice it. (I say back entrance because when we arrived, the front appeared resolutely closed. So closed in fact, it looked like it hadn't been in business for 20 years). However, don't be fooled, it is the oldest wine bar in London, and everything about it really plays up to this idea.

Once through the gate you're in a startlingly long terrace, lined with umbrellas, tables and upturned barrels, acting as smaller tables on which to perch. Now descend down the steep stone stairs of the (back) entrance into what at first is almost total darkness, and be delighted by the dark, stone-walled, candle-lit, buzzy den that is Gordon's. The only aspect that didn't necessarily exude age and fit with the decor was the lovely, if slightly out of place, well-groomed bartender, sporting a bright pink low necked-tshirt in a way that I'm more accustomed to seeing in Soho.

Sidle your way through the busy throng and you'll emerge into a low-ceilinged, dark, candlelit stone tunnel. Very Phantom of the Opera. Very fun. We luckily managed to nab a table in the corner and brought with us our vittles. (Excuse the use of 'vittles' but I'm feeling old fashioned just thinking about it).

Aside from an extensive wine list Gordon's also does very popular cheese platters. You choose which cheese you want from the sixteen varieties available at £5.50 each (I hugely recommend the Isle de Avalon, man it was good), and it comes on a wooden plate with hunks of bread. You get proper chunks (and hunks) too, there's no messing about when cheese is involved.

You can also get hot food platters, consisting of things such as chicken wings, ravioli, moussaka, the list goes on. Similarly, you can also order from the outside grill, which does burgers, halloumi, steak sandwiches and the like, all around the £8 mark. Gordon's not only gives you choice, but it doesn't stint on the portion sizes either.

I really enjoyed my visit and it has really livened up the otherwise slightly dull Strand for me. So if you're looking for somewhere with ambience, atmosphere and great food, then give it a whirl. Or even if you just like cheese.

- J

London - Gail's Bakery

Just a quick one -

If you're ever in Clapham wandering down Northcote Road you'll come across 'Gail's Artisan Bakery' quite far down the stretch. The best decision that you can make in that moment is to go in and get one of their Blueberry, Apricot and Ginger scones. They are absolutely delicious and apparently even appeared in the Independent's top 10 scones, (so it's not just me). They are crunchy on the outside but warm and soft on the inside and are sprinkled with demerara sugar and they made my morning break an absolute delight.

(Awful photo but my break was only 15 minutes and I couldn't hold back before taking it…sorry.)

- J

London - Dim t

I met a friend up on Charlotte street last Friday night and we ended up wandering into a Thai restaurant, Dim t. Inside was busy and it had a buzzy atmosphere, the wooded interior being both stylish and yet also quite intimate as the tables were all quite close together. This made it feel, in my mind, quite New York-y, and although we sat outside because it was a lovely evening, you still felt part off it with the all-glass front acting as the only divide. I made one of those last minute decisions and changed my order (which had been dim sum), to Pad Thai with tofu. Although it was unlike any Pad Thai I've ever had,  and I don't think particularly classic, it was really delicious! What made it different was that it was very sweet, and it had little garnish - no dried shrimps in sight. But this sweetness wasn't off-putting and was just really yum, the tofu too, was out of this world. It was the best tofu I've had in an age as it was cut into small enough cubes that meant you could pop it in in one bite, which is always helpful, and while it was toasted on the outside and very much held its shape, it managed to stay soft enough in the middle. Wonderful stuff. My friend had some dim sum which was apparently very yummy, and at normal prices (£7 something for my pad thai), it was a great find. I really recommend a visit, and if you get there and don't fancy it, then just turn around and take your pick from the congregation of places along the street, all just waiting for you to wander in and plonk yourself down on their seat.

J

Apple Tart

I was having a friend over for supper the other day, (very last minute), and panic-made a tart for pudding. Easiest success ever.

So, what ya need:

1 x roll of puff pastry.
Sugar to sprinkle.
Cinnamon to sprinkle.
Whatever fruit you have/can lay your hands on.

But what do I do, Jess?

Well, it's crazy easy. You roll out the pastry, slice up your fruit, (I used pears and apples), and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Pop in the oven at 200° and bake for about 20mins, or until the pastry is puffed and brown and the fruit glazed.

Et voila - an impressed chum and a cheap, yummy pud.

Please ignore the green plastic chopping board, not very Jamie Oliver of me.

J

London - Wahaca

So Wahaca was a wee bit hit and miss in my books. For example, while the black bean and cheese quesadillas and the spicy sweet potato pieces were really delicious, the soft tortilla tacos were just ok, and were tiny, so looked a bit sad on the plate. I kept adding a spicy sauce to liven them up, but every time I did this I re-realised I just wasn't that hard when it came to spice, and then had to add yoghurt to cool it down. This became an endless and slightly frustrating dance, one which I never mastered, as I never managed to get the combinations right. But enough of this sob story. Onto the drinks! However the final blow sadly arrived with these... Admittedly, we bought it on ourselves, as we should have read between the lines, but when you order 'Hibiscus water: cranberry flavoured Mexican flower juice', you expect something pretty cool, right? Alas what arrived was nothing other than Ocean Spray cranberry. Or actually it was probably Ocean Spray's slightly cheaper cousin. I felt a little betrayed, and things only worsened with the arrival of the cleverly named 'Citrus Fizz', which sheepishly showed itself to be nothing other than soda water. If it's soda water, Wahaca, just call it that, then feelings can't get hurt.

A huge redeeming feature, however, is the clever and I think rather wonderful idea of giving you on leaving what looks to be a cardboard packet of matches. This then however turns out not to be matches, but rather chilli seeds stuck onto sticks, ready to plant at home. I wandered past my chilli plant a moment ago, growing on my window sill, and with this all misgivings towards Wahaca disappeared. Although my experience was hit and miss, I do recommend a visit, as at the end of it all a lot of care and thought has gone into the place (and its drink descriptions), and you walk away with your very own chilli plant.
So why not?

J

 

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I'm back! I thought I'd add my twopence to this post as I've been to Wahaca twice in the last few months.

 

Contrary to J, I love this place. Hidden away in one of the busiest areas of London in converted shipping containers, Wahaca brings something a little bit different to the norm. The concept is pretty simple - shared Mexican dishes and tequila-based cocktails. Personally I think the food is incredible, although I have to agree with J that some portions can be a bit measly and some dishes - notably the soft tacos - a little bland. Also, this being Mexican food, if you're not a fan of cheese than moo-ve on to a different place (sorry!); pretty much every dish is smothered with cheese. There's even a cheese fondue-type dish with a lone nacho chip placed sparingly on top. I would highly recommend the quesadillas - delicious filled flat wraps - and the taquitos - lovely little Mexican spring rolls.

 

As for the drinks - tequila this, tequila that, tequila everything... The signature Mexican beverage is clearly very well stocked in the Wahaca cellars. Try the Wahaca Mule - a tequila, ginger beer and lime infusion or there's one which includes a hefty amount of salt amongst its ingredients; I've forgotten its name. 'Agua de mar', perhaps?

 

Given the relaxed atmosphere, attentive and helpful staff, and wonderful sharing food, I would certainly recommend taking a date here. J may disagree, but my date loved it!

 

All in all, definitely worth a visit if you can find it!

 

A

London - Dosa Deli

Earlier today I braved the drizzle and went to a cheese and wine market with a friend at Southbank. It was held where the regular weekend farmers market is usually found, (which I highly recommend), just opposite PingPong. Although it was smaller than the usual market, everyone there was gallantly battling the elements with a glass of red in one hand, and a cocktail stick with something Devonshire stuck on it in the other, so there was a definite happy buzz about.
We, however, went rogue and opted for the (only) Indian option, because they were selling fresh, proper, Chai tea. (Plus, it was only 10am... Who were all these people?)...

The Chai was amazing and although I've tried to make it fresh at home a number of times, I've always failed, so won't bore you, but it was the Goan Masala Dosa wrap that was particularly great. The wrap itself was made fresh on the spot, much like a pancake, and it was then filled with shredded paneer cheese, onion, peppers, coriander, and had this amazing yoghurt chutney garnish that was great for dipping. Although incredibly filling, it also felt very light and healthy.

So go check out a market next time, they never disappoint.

- J