Amritsar has been on my bucket list for a  long time for two reasons: The Golden Temple and Wagah Border. Despite numerous trips to India over the years, the timing was never right.  R and I were in India for a couple of weeks over the Easter holidays and I was determined to make it happen this time. Our schedule was hectic, to say the least, but we somehow managed a quick getaway to Punjab, where we spent a day in Amritsar followed by a day visiting my Nani (maternal grandmother) and family in Jalandhar.

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. 🙂

Any Indian street food lover will know exactly what I’m on about today! Crispy, tangy, sweet and spicy flavours all combined into the delicious savoury snack famously known as ‘chaat’.

Lots of possibilities when it comes to chaat but Papdi has always been my favourite. It always brings back fond memories of the handful of years I spent as a child in Delhi. I hadn’t realised until recently how easy it is to recreate the Indian street food magic in one’s own kitchen.

The ingredients can all be prepped in advance making it ideal for easy entertaining and also perfect for an evening meal on busy work days!

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 don’t know much about Malaysian food but am a big fan of Malaysian chicken curry scooped up with soft, flaky, roti paratha. Sadly, there aren’t any Malaysian restaurants in my neighbourhood and limited chances to indulge – probably a good thing as I could easily eat roti canai every day.

My friend, Sharon, made it for me when I visited her beautiful home in Surrey last month. I absolutely loved it and rolled back to Wimbledon that afternoon with a very happy belly and this wonderful recipe that I couldn’t wait to try at home.

My Facebook and Twitter timelines are flooded with enticing World Cup themed recipes shared by my favourite chefs, food writers and magazines. No wonder I am exceptionally hungry for fun food and cocktails! 😉

Nigella Lawson’s ‘Soccermole’  inspired a strong Mexican craving this past weekend. Not heavy, cheesy Tex-Mex style but something fresh and spicy with lots of lime. One thing led to another and out came these gorgeous chilli prawns smothered in lime and coriander.

The prawns are best served as fajitas with the usual Mexican sides (salsa, guacamole, cheese, sour cream etc) or simply topped with sliced avocado.

London takes on a whole new persona when the summer sun shines. People are friendlier, happier, brighter. Sunny dresses are out in all their girly glory, as are the sandals and sun cream. Summer also means lazy BBQs and refreshing salads – hooray!! Most definitely, my favourite time of the year.

After a super indulgent Wales trip followed by a decadent birthday weekend, my body craved some clean eating. Thankfully, the summer sun is feeding my healthy eating drive and I’ve been whipping up tasty salad storms.

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.

BIG milestones to celebrate this week! Hungry Aphrodite turns 1 on Friday and this is my 100th post. Time flies. I never imagined the blog would go this far when I started writing a year ago. I am grateful for the opportunities and experiences that have come my way and can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future.

A special milestone like this one deserves a delicious post. As you know, I was recently invited to enter a culinary challenge hosted by Maille, the famous French gourmet brand. I shared my recipe for a delicious summery salad a couple of weeks ago (see Maille Halloumi Salad). I am excited to share my 2nd and final entry for the Maille challenge with you all today.

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.

I met The Saucy Fish Co. team at the Be: Fit London  (see blog post here) show a couple of weeks ago and they sent me home with a selection of meals to enjoy at my convenience.

The Saucy Fish Co. started three years ago with an aim to make cooking with fish simple and exciting. They offer a range of attractively packaged fish (sourced from certified farms in Scotland and Norway) paired with delicious pre-made sauces.

Mr. A & I ate a lot of fish last week thanks to The Saucy Fish Co. Here are the meals we sampled:

I had the opportunity to speak to Dr. Christy Fergusson aka The Food Psychologist a few days ago. Dr. Christy Fergusson is a psychologist, nutritional therapist and clinical hypnotherapist who uses her personal experiences and training in nutrition to counsel young girls and women through a range of health issues.

Image provided by WIre Media

Christy’s own health troubles started at the age of 12 and lasted throughout her teenage years with a range of diagnoses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, severe acne, bulimia, endometriosis, poly cystic ovaries, depression and more. Her battles with her own health sparked an interest in pursuing psychology and clinical nutrition at university. However, the turning point for Christy was a consultation with a naturopath following which she realised that the source of all her illnesses was nothing else but a poor diet. Once her diet changed, everything changed.

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.

Happy International Women’s Day to all the incredible women in my life! Today is all about proudly celebrating our strength and femininity and there couldn’t be a better opportunity to introduce you to an inspiring women’s health and fitness festival coming up in London in a few weeks.

Be:Fit London, previously known as The Vitality Show, returns at the end of March with London’s largest women’s health and fitness event. Be:Fit London celebrity ambassadors include inspiring Olympic athletes  such as Victoria Pendleton and Denise Lewis, supermodel and sports personality Jodie Kidd, as well as Sky Sports News presenter Kirsty Gallacher who will formally open the show.

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.

After months of following the lovely Sabrina Ghayour on Twitter and drooling over her gorgeous food pics, I finally dined at her Persian supper club a few nights ago. Sabrina is a private chef and supper club host with a new cook book, ‘Persiana’ coming out in May.

I had never been to a supper club and  was initially a bit wary of going to a complete stranger’s home for dinner.  Once I was familiar with Sabrina’s Twitter persona and had read some reviews, a bunch of us decided to give it a go.

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.

One of my favourite memories of student life in Boston is gorging on delicious plates of Pad See Ew noodles at a hole-in-the-wall Thai eatery in the dubious ‘Chinatown Food Court’ on Beach Street. Along with Pad Kra Pow, these noodles were an instantly gratifying Thai fix washed down with an order of sweet Thai Iced Tea.

Pad See Ew remains one of my favourite Thai dishes and as much as I have tried to recreate the Boston flavours from memory, I am yet to get it right. I think it is probably due to my restraint in adding unnecessary grease and a whole bottle of fish sauce in to my food. 😉

I read a book by Mireille Guiliano some years ago, annoyingly titled ‘French Women Don’t Get Fat’. The book focused entirely on how French women manage to look good and stay healthy whilst enjoying a diet rich in bread, cheese, wine, steak, chocolate and other good things.

I couldn’t help but think about this book throughout my recent Parisian food adventure. Yes, I savoured every bit of the deliciousness on offer but indulging in Paris for more than 5 days is a dangerous thought.

Cold salads on wintry January days aren’t easy.  Especially, when it is gloomy outside and all you want is a hot plate of comfort.

I wanted something fresh, spicy and Thai yesterday. And, I needed it to be raw. A gorgeous Thai green papaya salad came to mind but I wasn’t going to find a Thai green papaya anywhere in my neighbourhood. Luckily, there was an unripe green mango at home with my name all over it. 😉

It took no effort to put together this cheerful Thai style Mango Salad. It is packed full of flavour, healthy and so easy. Try it sometime – it makes being good, taste fabulous!

I had my food blogger lens on throughout the Paris trip and what really caught my hungry eyes was the stunning food displays at marches, patisseries and shops around town.

The beautiful presentation made the simplest of foods seem even more enticing. Have a look at these drool-worthy shots and you will see what I mean.

Mont Blancs at Angelina Paris

Macarons at Angelina Paris

Normandy Oysters at a Marche in Marais

Colourful seafood at a marche in Marais

Lovely looking greens in Marais

Berries, anyone?

Flavoured butter at Breizh Cafe shop in Marais

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. 🙂

I tried this creamy saffron and prawn risotto on my first trip to Rome many years ago. We had some excellent food on our Roman holiday but this  particular meal near our hotel in Testaccio was without a doubt, the best and most memorable.

Risotto alla Crema di Scampi is clearly a Roman specialty as I haven’t come across it anywhere else in Italy.  I’ve tried hunting down recipes many times over the years without much success  but got lucky a few days ago when I found a few Risotto alla Crema di Scampi recipes…all in Italian! Thank God for Google Translate!

Brrrr. It is freezing cold out there and on wintry days like these, all I want is hot, comfort food. In my case, comfort is always a steaming bowl of spicy curry. Thai, Malaysian, Indian, any kind will do – but, the only way is curry!

Today, I am sharing the recipe for a delicious Kerala style Pepper Chicken I made earlier in the week. As you can guess, the dish uses loads of black peppercorns and fresh curry leaves along with other aromatic spices traditionally used in food from this particular region of India.

I braved the crowds at Harrods over the weekend and oh my goodness, what a nightmare!! There are way too many people out and about this time of year and I left Knightsbridge feeling extremely thankful for online shopping. 😉

My Top 5 Beauty Gifts blog last week was popular and I hope you all found it useful. Today, I am sharing some delicious foodie gift ideas. As you can imagine, it was quite a challenge to stick to a list of five as there are some fabulous options out there. I could have easily gone on and on and on…

It is Thanksgiving today and my American friends and family around the world are celebrating a beautiful tradition centred around expressing gratitude and eating lots of delicious food. I always miss being in the US at this time of year and have some great memories of long weekends spent feasting away on turkey, stuffing and pie!

Been a while now since a proper Thanksgiving meal but I do make it a point to always make or do something special on this day and join in the festivities.

I attended the BBC Good Food Show held in London this past weekend with my first ever Press Pass for Hungry Aphrodite! This was definitely a milestone for my blog and I was super excited to experience one of London’s largest gathering of food lovers.

A view from the top

The BBC Good Food Show is an annual event held in London, Birmingham and Glasgow. The London show held at Olympia featured interviews with famous chefs, live demonstrations, wine tastings, and a Producers’ Village showcasing some of the best food products and gadgets in the market.

Today, I am handing the blog over to my husband (hereby known as Mr. A) who has recently returned from a lot of eating and drinking in Madrid. I loved hearing about his trip and thought a guest post on Hungry Aphrodite would be the perfect way for him to share his experiences with my hungry readers. So, here’s Mr. A!

MR. A IN MADRID

By Rahul Agarwal

Mr. Hungry Aphrodite was recently allowed a boys’ trip to Madrid on the condition that I promised to eat lots of delicious Tapas, take plenty of pictures and write a guest blog upon my return. I hope today’s post is so successful that I am sent on many such missions in the future.

I am obsessed with Italian food and a classic Bruschetta is one of my many favourite dishes.

I love the simple pleasure of a tomato & basil bruschetta and had only ever made it this way until I saw celebrity chef (and my latest foodie crush), Gino D’Acampo make his Cannellini Bruschetta or what he refers to as ‘more than just posh beans on toast’. 😉

The thought of cannellini beans, cherry tomatoes and parsley on slightly charred ciabatta was super tempting and I couldn’t resist drawing inspiration from Gino (yet again!) for a yummy bruschetta lunch.

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!

There are people who eat to live and then there’s those of us who live to eat. My fascination with good food doesn’t stop at eating. I must also talk, write and read about it every single chance I get.

I love food-lit and have a great selection of delicious cookbooks, healthy eating guides and food/travel memoirs scattered around my home. Flipping through these books is one of my favourite ways to switch off, unwind and drift off into a world where everything tastes heavenly and calories don’t count. 😉

Italy is one of my favourite places in the world. I have visited many times over the years and each trip has been so memorable.

Eating the most divine and authentic pizza in Naples, a beautiful Tuscan holiday with family, driving through the breathtaking Amalfi coast and discovering the best (and worst!) Italian food in Rome are just a few of my favourite memories of Italy.

Last Friday, I caught an episode of Gino’s Italian Escape, an ITV series featuring Italian chef Gino D’Acampo as he travels to various parts of  Italy introducing viewers to classic Italian recipes. In this episode, Gino was in Rome and making a traditional Roman Bucatini alla Carbonara  – without the cream.

Many of you will remember my blog last month on  ‘The Beauty Detox Solution – Part 1′.  It has been the most popular post on Hungry Aphrodite so far!

I have embraced many of the ideas that Kimberly Snyder recommends in ‘The Beauty Detox Solution’ and am slowly easing myself into a new way of eating. Of course, there are occasional indulgences but I hate the way my mind and body feel afterwards so something is clearly working.

‘The Beauty Detox Solution – Part 1’ gave you a super brief summary of the first half of the book. As promised, here is Part 2!

I recently blogged about ‘The Beauty Detox Solution’, a book by nutritionist Kimberly Snyder, that has motivated me to make some serious changes to my lifestyle.

I have much reduced my intake of animal protein and made a dedicated effort to add more raw fruits and vegetables to my diet. A salad a day is my motto these days and so far, so good.

Today’s lunch was a simple Greek salad of tomato, cucumber, olives and feta cheese,  lifted up to superfood status with miracle grain, quinoa.

Quinoa is packed full of protein, iron, fibre and what not?

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.

After a sunny summer spent wearing pretty dresses, sipping cocktails/wine, and eating gorgeous food, it wasn’t much fun struggling to breathe in my ‘comfortable’ pair of jeans last week. Ugh. I think it might be time for another round of detox.

As a ‘foodie’, I don’t have the desire or discipline to ‘diet’ so my focus will be on eating right and making better choices.

In need for some serious inspiration and guidance, I turned to ‘The Beauty Detox Solution’, a book by celebrity nutritionist and beauty expert, Kimberly Snyder.  I am not even half way through the book and seem to have already found the motivation to make some changes.

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.

El Bulli was probably one of the most imaginative and experimental restaurants in the world. Ferran Adria, the chef that transformed El Bulli, is credited with inventing the concept of nouvelle cuisine and molecular gastronomy.

Located a 2 hour drive from Barcelona, El Bulli promised the gastronomic experience of a lifetime through a 35-40 course tasting menu costing 250€ per person. El Bulli was only open for 6 months of the year and needless to say, it was next to impossible to book a table. Despite 2 million reservation requests/year for 8000 ‘seats’, El Bulli closed its doors to the world in July 2011 due to consistent financial losses.

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.

Imagine your local farmer’s market on steroids. Borough Market is beyond that. It is where both Londoners and tourists come together to experience fresh, delicious foods from Britain and the world. It is a foodie’s paradise!!

My first visit to Borough Market was as a new Londoner back in 2006.  It quickly became a monthly ritual as well as a top ranked British tourist attraction whenever friends and family came to visit.

A perfectly ripe avocado is undoubtedly my favourite ‘power food’. I was initially put off by the high fat content but the benefits of avocado in my diet make it very easy to overlook this technicality 😉

Avocado has the highest protein content of any fruit and is rich in a variety of vitamins and nutrients. It lowers cholesterol, helps to control diabetes and has also been known to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and improve side effects resulting from chemotherapy. It is high in folate and provides excellent nutrition to pregnant women and is also a nutritious addition to your child’s diet.

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.