How are you? Have you missed me?

It’s been far too long since I last wrote and a lot has happened. I won’t get into too much detail here but, life got in the way and Hungry Aphrodite had no choice but to take a backseat. I’ve missed taking photos of my food, writing about it and sharing my recipes, travels and experiences with you. I’ve missed connecting and bonding with family, friends and other food-lovers around the world, through my little world. I’ve been waiting to revive my food diaries for a while now and am excited to pick up where I left off.

Hard to believe but my last taste of Indian food was at the iconic Bombay Brasserie back in June. And, what a meal it was! 😉

Bombay Brasserie in South Kensington has been around since 1983 and is a family favourite. I had my baby shower at Bombay Brasserie a few years ago and since I used to work in the area, I would visit whenever I needed a real Indian food fix.

Bombay Brasserie has just gone through a massive revamp and is looking better than ever with an alfresco terrace and brand new decor. The menu has been reworked too to include some fantastic cocktails and new dishes.

If you are following me on Instagram, you will know that I have just returned from a fabulous trip to sunny Dubai.

Dubai has been on my travel bucket list for a while now and given that this was my first experience of the Middle East,  I was beyond excited. As you may know, I am also obsessed with food from this part of the world and simply couldn’t wait to be let loose in the land of mezze and shisha. 🙂

Paris in December is slowly becoming an annual tradition for our little family. Definitely not the best time of year to visit but the city of light is especially sparkly around Christmas, despite the cold and rain.

Any trip we take revolves entirely around food and we certainly couldn’t go wrong in Paris. It was little A’s first trip to Paris and macarons and crepes featured high on his list (and ours too!)

Here’s a quick snapshot of the beautiful things we saw and the delicious food we ate! 

We stayed at the beautiful Intercontinental Le Grand near Palais Garnier. This huge Eiffel Tower made entirely of Laduree macarons greeted us in the lobby upon our arrival…

A few weeks ago, Zomato UK selected me as a winner of one of their Twitter competitions. The prize was promptly sent across and included a £100 meal at Pont St, a restaurant at the boutique Belgraves Hotel near Sloane Square.

Pont St – Belgraves is overseen by Sophie Mitchell, Britain’s youngest female Executive Chef. She is also part of the team behind Gorgeous Kitchen at Heathrow Airport and makes regular TV appearances. Sophie has also been a private chef to Claudia Schiffer and Leonardo DiCaprio!

Lunch got off to a great start with some Riesling to whet the appetite.

I try my best to avoid red meat. I’m not a fan of messy food. And, I don’t have the time or patience to queue for food. A few good reasons why Burger & Lobster was always overlooked as a dining option. Until now.

I finally had my first Burger & Lobster experience earlier this week thanks to a friend in town who had the popular chain of restaurants at the top of her London bucket list.

You know it was a good meal when the last bite is just as enjoyable as the first. We had a couple of special meals like this on our Canarian holiday…so special that I am dedicating a whole blog post to my two favourite Lanzarote restaurants – Romantica and La Chalanita.

As the name suggests, Romantica attracts couples visiting Lanzarote for a romantic getaway. We strolled in with little R and may have ruined romance for many that evening – whoops! 😉

Romantica boasts spectacular views and a brilliant fusion menu created by Colombian chefs Jonathan and Johanna who started the restaurant 3 years ago.

Hola everyone! I am back from a sunny holiday in the Canary Islands with a serious tan and a horrible sore throat I picked up on the flight to London. 🙁

Lanzarote was amazing though –  and how could it be anything but with the blissful promise of sun, sea and sangria! We spent most of our time either by the beach at Playa Blanca in Yaiza, Lanzarote….

Or, on a boat…

Or, poolside at the  beautiful Princesa Yaiza resort, our home for the week.

Despite living in the UK for so many years, I still struggle with pubs. A selection of beers on tap doesn’t tempt me and the only time I’ve actually visited pubs lately is for Thai food (Walmer Castle/Churchill Arms in Notting Hill – Yum!) or if I’m on holiday in the country!

Pubs are unavoidable here in Surrey and thankfully, there seem to be some lovely, scenic ones around. We decided to begin our Surrey pub crawl with a visit to our local gastro-pub on a stormy bank holiday Monday afternoon.

Apologies for my silence the past couple of weeks. I’ve had a lot going on but it’s finally time to catch up on a long overdue blog post.

I was invited to attend the Taste of London Festival held in Regent’s Park a few weeks ago.  Taste of London is an annual event celebrating London’s buzzing restaurant scene. Held each year at Regent’s Park, the festival showcases signature ‘taster’ dishes from some of the city’s best restaurants as well as special cooking theatres and workshops offering Londoners the opportunity to get up close and personal with popular chefs.

I’ll be honest. After a fabulous foodie holiday in Wales, there is nothing I wanted more than some tasty, vegetarian Indian food. Spice was what we were all after and Southall was on our way home.

Southall is located a couple of miles from Heathrow Airport and is home to the largest Asian community in London. The neighbourhood is predominantly Sikh and the streets are full of gurdwaras, temples, shops, and amazing food.  For me, a trip to Southall always includes a visit to the Gurdwara on Havelock Road and a delicious meal at Delhiwala. This is a family tradition that is going strong for many years now.

Havelock Road Gurdwara

The beauty of the Great British countryside never fails to impress me. We went on a family holiday to Wales last week and there were several moments of our journey when I actually felt I was driving through the lush green hills of Tuscany (minus the weather, of course!)

We stayed at The Manor House , a beautiful 19th century country house that is part of the massive Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, South Wales. Celtic Manor is famously known for its sprawling golf course, regarded as one of the best in the world. We weren’t here to play golf though.

It’s been a busy and hazy couple of weeks with a spectacular Indian wedding, a friend’s 40th birthday celebration and a spa getaway to Wales all crammed in with ridiculous amounts of champagne and many plates of delicious things.

An invitation by Zomato to a Portuguese and Spanish tapas tasting at the Notting Hill Kitchen came during this incredibly busy time but there was no way I was missing it. One can always trust Zomato to put on a great event and the glorious London sunshine on the day made it the perfect weather for tapas and wine.

Image by Alexandra (Zomato)

I have always been curious about San Lorenzo, a local Italian restaurant located steps away from Wimbledon station. After 5 years of living in the neighbourhood, we finally decided to give it a try a few weeks ago.

San Lorenzo’s first restaurant in Knightsbridge celebrated 50 years last year and the Wimbledon branch has been around for 45 years.  Believe it or not, they also have one in Mumbai – Maritime by San Lorenzo at the Taj Land’s End.

Some of you know that I spent a significant part of my childhood in Tokyo and would move back there in a heartbeat. I get quite nostalgic about my time in Japan, the country, the people and of course the wonderful, varied cuisine that I can’t get enough of.

I was invited to dine at Chisou Knightsbridge a few days ago and chose the always willing Mr. A to join me for the review.

Chisou is an Izakaya style restaurant located on the well-known Beauchamp Place in Knightsbridge. An izakaya refers to a casual Japanese drinking establishment serving food. Chisou has an intimate sake/cocktail bar upstairs (open on weekends) and a cosy dining area on the main floor.

I can’t believe I dined at Chicken Shop in Tooting back in February and am only getting the chance to blog about it today. Yes, things are busy these days and time really does fly!

We discovered Chicken Shop while driving through Tooting one evening. If you are familiar with the south London neighbourhood , you will know that the main high street is full of Asian shops as well as South Indian and Sri Lankan restaurants. Tooting also has a growing number of trendy bars and restaurants with Chicken Shop being relatively new to the vibrant scene.

My little man took me out for delicious tapas for Mother’s Day a few weeks ago. Tendido Cuatro, in Parson’s Green, is sister restaurant to the popular Tendido Cero/Cambio de Tercio in Kensington.

We used to live doors away from Tendido Cero when we first moved to London and it remains one of my favourite Spanish tapas in London. This was the first time we were trying Tendido Cuatro and I was wishing for flavour and consistency. Thankfully, they did not disappoint.

My only experience of Greek food in London has been at the popular chain, The Real Greek. While I love dining there, I’ve always been eager to explore other authentic Greek restaurants in the city. This  is exactly why I responded to a food tasting invitation from Ergon, a new Greek restaurant in London, with a quick and enthusiastic ‘YES!’

Ergon means ‘vocation’ in Greek and the name simply represents the owner’s belief that everyone should do what they know best and love most in life.  The idea for Ergon was conceived in Thessanoliki, Greece by the Douzis brothers in 2011 and has seen tremendous growth despite the turbulent economy.  They now have 6 restaurants in Greece, their first international location in London and restaurants in Belgium and the United States on the horizon.

Any global foodie will tell you how exciting it is when popular restaurants from around the world cross over to your city.  Balthazar was an old favourite during my NYC days. The French brasserie opened in London almost a year ago and has been on my list of ‘restaurants to visit’ ever since. Finally made it to Balthazar for dinner last Friday with some friends visiting from Hong Kong.

Located in Covent Garden, Balthazar London is an exact replica of the restaurant in New York City. The famous owner, Keith McNally, spent a reported £14 million on recreating the original space – from the huge pillars and mirrors to the sepia lighting that warms the entire dining room making everything (and, everyone!) look beautiful.

In my recent interview with Gourmandize UK & Ireland (click here for the full interview!), I was asked to name a specific dish or food that I can’t live without. This was a tough one for me to answer as like many food lovers, I have not one but several favourite cuisines with Japanese food ranking high on the list.

Mr. A is constantly raving about the sushi and katsu at Tsuru, his favourite lunch spot in the ‘city.’ The glorious sunshine this past Friday combined with the promise of excellent Japanese food was a good excuse to trek into town and meet him for a quick family lunch.

February has been all about striking a balance between lavish feasts and healthy January resolutions. From Chinese New Year festivities to an indulgent Persian supper club along with my daily juicing experiments,  I have lived up to my blog name this month.

I was invited to the Zomato UK Food Blogger’s Dinner last night held at  Gaylord, one of my favourite Indian restaurants in the city. Zomato is a popular restaurant discovery site from India now operating in 11 other countries across the globe, including the UK.

Kung Hei Fat Choy. Gong Xi Fa Cai.

Wishing all my readers celebrating the Chinese New Year this weekend a very happy and prosperous year of the horse!

Our friends Chris and Emma invited us to celebrate Chinese New Year with their friends over a dim sum/yum cha feast this weekend. The big lunch was in the elegant private dining area at Grand Imperial restaurant in the Grosvenor Hotel. The location couldn’t have been more convenient than literally next to Victoria station – there is an entrance to the hotel from the station itself.

Happy New Year, everyone!! Hope you all had a great end to 2013 and a beautiful start to the year that lies ahead. I have a good feeling about 2014 – it just has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

My 2013 ended with a fabulous trip to Paris with Mr. A to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Having been to Paris a few times before, there was no sightseeing at all on the agenda besides the obligatory view(s) of the sparkling Eiffel from various parts of the city. I was excited to simply wander the streets of Paris and take in the beauty around me – and, of course, to eat amazing food and drink good wine. 🙂

My friend Hina & I spent this past weekend rediscovering Bath, a historic town located an easy 90 minute train ride from London. I have been to Bath many times before and am always mesmerized by the Georgian architecture and stunning scenery in and around town.

Pictured below are some of my favourite shots of Bath from the weekend.

After wandering the beautiful streets of Bath on Saturday, we spent Sunday relaxing at the Thermae Bath Spa, Britain’s only thermal day spa fully serviced by the mineral rich, healing waters that have made Bath so famous. The spa boasts of a warm open-air rooftop pool overlooking Bath and the countryside. Cameras aren’t allowed in the spa but hopefully these images from their website will give you an idea of the experience we had!

Warm scones, pretty cakes and dainty finger sandwiches – what’s not to love about a traditional British afternoon tea? What started off in the early 19th century as an inventive way to ward off royal 4pm hunger pangs is now a hugely popular ‘activity’ enjoyed by  tourists AND locals all around the UK. 🙂

I love tea and scones so when a friend invited me to join in for a birthday celebration at an Alice in Wonderland themed tea party, my answer was a very quick YES!

Here are some snapshots from the lovely Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson Hotel in London’s West End.

The London food scene is bursting with Latin American flavours this year. From the Peruvian cuisine at trendy Coya to the incredible fusion at Sushi Samba, we are spoilt for choice with some fantastic dining options.

The latest on my list of favourite London restaurants is Zoilo, a lovely little Argentinian restaurant by renowned chef Diego Jacquet and Alberto Abbate. The duo also run Casa Malevo, another popular Argentine restaurant in London.

I was stung by a ruthless bee outside a Middle Eastern restaurant in Fitzrovia called Honey and Co this past Saturday. Strange but true…and rather painful. Ouch.

However, this post is not about the mean bee. It is about the gorgeous food at Honey and Co. Food so incredible that even a nasty bee sting is almost forgotten.

Honey and Co is all about fresh, simple and delicious food from the Middle East. The husband-wife team of  Sarit Packer (former head chef at popular Ottolenghi/also former head chef at Nopi) and Itamar Srulovich (Israeli chef trained at several eateries in Tel Aviv) took inspiration from their childhood to create the gorgeous, wholesome dishes served at Honey and Co.

Yes, it is true! Shake Shack, the upscale fast food chain from the US, has crossed the big pond and opened its first London shack!

My friends in the US are constantly raving about Shake Shack burgers. I had never tried one before so couldn’t wait to see what the hype was all about.

Opened earlier this month on American Independence Day,  Shake Shack has a spectacular location in London’s busy Covent Garden Piazza Market.

Pictured here is the Shack Shack seating area in the middle of the market.

I gave up coffee on June 1st. And I am still standing! Hooray!

Finding healthy (and tasty) replacements for my morning cuppa has been easier than I thought. I have a renewed love for green tea and am mixing it up with other detoxifying drinks such as hot water with honey and lemon (yum), wheatgrass powder (not so yum) and other fresh juices and concoctions.

I met up with a friend this morning at Le Pain Quotidien and tried a delicious detox juice from their seasonal menu  made with pink grapefruit, turmeric, agave syrup and sparkling water. Never knew detox could taste so good!!

It is my birthday today!! And I have had too much fun and a shameless amount of dessert over ‘birthday week’ that kicked off with a delicious meal at Sushi Samba London a few days ago.

My American readers may be familiar with Sushi Samba, a popular Brazilian-Peruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant with locations in New York, Miami, Las Vegas and Chicago. Sushi Samba used to be one of my favourite restaurants during my NYC days and naturally, I was beyond excited to finally try out their new London branch.

My mother-in-law is in London for a few weeks and that always means a daily overdose of great food! 😉 We were all in the mood for something different this past weekend: A quick Google search and a couple of reviews later, a table was booked at Asmara, an Eritrean restaurant in Brixton.

My first experience of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine was as a college student in Boston. I remember falling instantly in love with the flavours and the unique, communal dining experience. The memory certainly hasn’t faded and the craving kicks in every now and then.

What I love most about living in London is exploring the vibrant cultures and cuisines from around the world. The culinary scene over here is bustling – there are always new flavours to explore and of course, the old favourites that are practically  institutions for some of us!

We had some friends in town from India this weekend and decided to try out Coya, a trendy new Peruvian-Japanese restaurant in Mayfair. Peru is home to a very significant immigrant Japanese community  and we were all very eager to explore the unique fusion cuisine.

My first introduction to Parsi cuisine was at a friend’s dinner party in Mumbai a few years ago. The Parsis are descendants of the Persian Zoroastrian community that emigrated to India in the 8th century to avoid religious persecution. Mainly settled in Mumbai, they are a small but significant and highly eccentric group with unique customs and lovely food!