Vrisaki Greek- Cypriot Restaurant

On arrival.....
 I was greeted with a selection of little fresh salads dishes

I am a very difficult person to please when it comes to food as my friends always say...Well, in my defence, I have my high standards, I like it fresh, well prepared and made with love.
 Anyway, today I have the pleasure of eating one of the best Lamb dishes, thanks to my colleague Adam from Fifteen Restaurant, a Turkish Cypriot himself, suggest me this " gastronomical gem"called "Vrisaki".
                                                                      The Lamb
Tender, full of delicate spices flavour,cooked for hours in the oven served with roasted potatoes ( fresh not reheated), rice, and a delicious Greek salad.

Well recommended!

Vrisaki

73 Myddleton Road, N22 8LZ Full details & map

Cooking...for friends

Today I will share two dishes with you:                                                                                                              Sardines and fresh Italian Peaches Bruschetta
                                                                                                                 Marrocan style Lamb

                                            

I've cooked these two dishes for my friends another day, the Bruschetta was inspired by Fifteen Menu where I work, I had it first time there and I decided to do my version of it,

Bruschetta

Ingredients to make one unit:

One slice of Sour dough bread toasted or grilled

Fresh white Italian Peaches

Mint

Sardines, you can cheat using good Portuguese tinned Sardines(no skin and no bones)

Olive oil

Sea Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

and Balsamic Vinegar to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and place on Toasted bread and Voilà!

*You can add a drizzle of good virgin olive oil on top

Marrocan Lamb

Ingredients

Marinate

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp paprika

1tsp ground ginger or fresh ginger

1tsp turmeric

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1,1kg 2 1/2lb lamb meat shoulder or leg

2 large onions, grated

2 tsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic chopped

1x200gr tinned chopped tomatoes

100gr dried apricots, cut in half

55gr raisins or sultanas

coriander and parsley taste

Preparation

Marinate the lamb with all spices and a little oil 1 hour or 2 before cooking it

Choose a large casserole pan for the job

Heat the oil and sear the lamb 

add chopped tomatoes, apricots,almonds,coriander, parsley leaving some for decoration

honey is the last item to be added.

Cook in slow heat for 35 to 40 minutes until tender

Serve with potatoes or rice,okra or your favourite vegetables.

River Cafe London

Today, me and my colleagues from Fifteen Restaurant went for lunch at

A little bit of information...
River Café brought to London the flavours of Italian home cooking with an emphasis on the finest ingredients, and an all-Italian wine list.It  is owned and run by chef Ruth Rogers and until early 2010, Rose Gray .The restaurant also brought to London a modern, open-plan kitchen and dining room with a buzzy atmosphere.
The River Café is also notable for the number of successful chefs that have trained in its kitchens. These include Sam and Sam Clark of Moro, Ed Baines of Randall & Aubin, April Bloomfield of the Spotted Pig (in New York) and celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Tobie Puttock.
                    Menu  selection :
                                 ANTIPASTI

               Calamari ai ferri - chargrilled squid with fresh red chilli & rocket £15

                                        

                                                        PRIMI

         Risotto con Pesche- with white peaches, purple basil & De Faveri Prosecco £13,50

                                                               

                                                   SECONDI

Burrida di Pesce - Ligurian fish stew with red mullet, langoustines, john dory, clams, tomato and
Fiano Donnaluna with crostino, chilli & parsley £40

                                                   

                                                           DOLCI 

                                         Sorry, couldn't resist!!! 

                               Chocolate Nemesis £8.50 

                                             I FORMAGGI

                                                       

        and the wines, chosen by Fernando Matumato, 15's Restaurant  sommelier:

                                             Main Course Wines:

               

                                                                         Dessert Wines 

Brazilian Couscous (Cuscus Paulista)

One of my " food memories" when I was a little boy in Brazil is my mother preparing a Sunday meal for the family. A favourite dish of mine was "Cuscus Paulista".
I only got to know the Moroccan Couscous version  later on, when I moved to London...
Very nutritious and cheap to make, it is a winner and it looks very impressive too!

I found out that the introduction of couscous into Brazil in the 16th sixteenth century, according to Luis da Cámara Cascudo was a result of the culinary influences of both Portugal and of African slave cultures (Cascudo, 1983, pp. 207–211). There are two varieties. Southern couscous (cuscuz paulista) is a steamed cake made from corn flour, vegetables, spices, chicken, or fish (prawns and sardines). The northern variety (cuscuz nordestino) is a steamed pudding made from tapioca flour and sugar and moistened with coconut milk. This is a popular Brazilian breakfast.

Now I will show few steps for a delicious Cuscus Paulista:

1-Choose fresh vegetables, peppers, peas, aubergines, whatever you like...

2-One of the essential ingredients is Hearts of palm which you can now find in good supermarkets in London!

This is the first step: cooking all vegetables and mixing it with fish stock, sweetcorn flaked flour.

You know when it is ready when it starts to bubble up and it isn't sticking to the pan any more.That is the final step.

Zucca Restaurant

I was about to lose my hope to find a nice modern Italian restaurant in London, well don't get me wrong, you can have a wonderful Italian meal but it will cost you!
Zucca restaurant in Bermondsey Street is a modest and unpretentious with simple white furniture and a open  kitchen.
The service is very attentive on the edge of being o.t.t., pouring water and wine for us, every 2 minutes, we couldn't relax much.
The food compensates for everything: fresh, flavoursome but delicate at the same time. Foccacia and Ciabatta was served without any charge!
My main dish was a slow cooked Octopus with Jersey Royals, it was tender and gentle on the palate.
My companion's dish was Monk fish with lentils and sautéed sea kale,the fish- firm texture and lovely grilled flavour ,wonderful!
You know that feeling, when you are not that full with a little space for dessert-but-don't-want- a whole-one?
I ordered a moist hazelnut and coffee cake, it was the"icing on the cake" with a double espresso.


184 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3TQ
Telephone

020 7378 6809

Dalva e Dito - Alex Atala

I went to Chef Alex Atala's Dalva e Dito ( Dalva comes from Dalva Star and Dito comes from Sao Benedito)  restaurant . The idea is to bring back Colonial food , all dishes are made with typical regional Brazilian ingredients such as Jambu ( plant family of oval leaves, jagged and thick, pale yellow flowers. Is used in cooking in dishes typical of Northern Brazil, as the "tacacá" and "duck in tucupi" . When chewed, the tongue slightly anesthesia.)

I had Moqueca Capixaba (Espirito Santo  regional food) , white rice and Pirao, my fiend had Porco na Lata com Pure de Batata e Pequi (Pequi is a fruit, its pulp is a very popular food in Goiás and Minas Gerais, eaten by itself raw or prepared or used as an ingredient in cooking ) see picture below.

Only few steps from his flagship restaurant D.O.M. ( 18th  best restaurant in the world)
The signature dish is the roast chicken, roasted to perfection in what Atala calls "the Ferrari of roasters", a Rotissol rôtissoir flewn in from France.
If you visit Sao Paulo and would like to taste a real brazilian flavoursome dish;I recomend to make a reservation.
Rua Padre João Manoel 1115, São Paulo, 01426-000LocationJardim PaulistaPhone011/3064-6183

Last Breakfast in Sao Paulo

Before my trip back to London, my friends Luciano and Ricardo took me to a famous "padaria" to have my last breakfast in style in Sao Paulo- Brazil, I will show some of the delicacies I had there.
Starting with breads                                                                                           and cakes

I had to try the delicious Tapioca made with cassava root flour and condensed milk freshly prepared for you, I will miss Sao Paulo....