Paris

If you go to Paris try to avoid the main touristic restaurants, they are very expensive and never deliver honest good food.

There's nothing to beat simply walking around Paris if you want to fully appreciate the city's many flavors.

The Paris métro is the fastest and cheapest way of getting around.

Arm yourself with a Paris street map and lose yourself....

Pastries with a lovely espresso is recommended all day!

If you like a light lunch I recommend: Chez Jeanette I had a delicious Caesar Salad there,watching people passing by,it is extraordinary!

47 rue du Fbg-St Denis,
10th

Area North-East

If you like to try real French cuisine i recommend a classic Parisian brasserie.

Brasserie Bofinger

7 rue de la Bastille, Paris.

Tel 0033 1 42 72 87 82.

Don't be scared of the waiters they have got big"Parisian attitude"!!!

I had duck and Foie gras with apple and plum sauce.

Jonathan my companion had Choucroute,dish of sauerkraut laden with cured and boiled meats: smoked sausage, ham knuckles, belly pork. Only the hungry need apply! a statement of Alsatian identity on a plate,because M. Bofinger was Alsatian, this must always be on the menu.it has a reputation as a place where French writers, academics and politicians like to meet; almost every French president and prime minister of modern times has eaten there,I was told by Jonathan an expert in French matters!

By chance, we have found a gem, an Algerian restaurant, I had the most amazing Cous cous and roast Lamb, simple one of the best dishes i had in Paris, unfortunately i did not get a business card...

It is near the Rue aux buttes des Cailles in the 13th arrondisment, near the Place d'Italie.Try to find it, it's worth it!

We stayed  in Montmartre area and decided to explore one night, “Rue Joseph Dijon”, just off the Boulevard Ornano opposite Metro Station “Simplon” (18^th Arrondissmnent – north of Monmartre) all around our Hotel.

Jonathan had stayed in the area before and introduced me his "Local Bar" is “La Timbale” and it is where Rue Joseph Dijon meets the Rue Mont Cenis… after  few drinks and a Jazz session.....we have found  a lovely fondue restaurant Les Fondus de la Raclette.

107 avenue Parmentier 75011 

we had a great time trying "to make"our fondues(Beef and Cheese) and we had chocolate fondue with fruits for desserts too!

 

Cafe East the right place for a Vietnamese broth!

 Lately, I became a Big Fan of Vietnamese Cuisine, it is fresh, spicy, it wakes your taste buds and makes you feel alive!
My favorite so far is Cafe East, a spacious, airy and relaxing place.
I've ordered a steaming bowl of beef noodle,their signature dish, spicy or less spicy as you wish, thin slices of rare beef, it is served with a plateful of fresh, verdant herbs: Vietnamese basil, rau que (Asian basil),ngo gai (Saw Leaf Herb), bean sprouts and a slice of lime . The broth is delicious and rich in spices, with a complexity that can only come from hours of simmering beef bones and meat together with star anise, ginger and cinnamon. highly recommended!

Closed on Tuesdays -Surrey Quays Leisure Centre, 100 Redriff Row, Deptford,   SE16 7LH

Banh mi (Bun Mee)

I've heard about this intriguing  French-Vietnamese dish called "banh mi" (Bun Mee) – a baguette spread with pâté and mayonnaise, filled with pickled vegetables, fresh herbs, chili, slices of Vietnamese pork sausage and grilled pork and I decide to find it today!
There are only few places in London where you can find it, Long Kee Cafe (kings Road) Cafe Bay ( Denamark Hill), Banzi 237 Lower Road Canada Water, where I had mine, open (12 -23h), Branhmi 11 Broadway Market and Baguete + More The Fountain Food Market -Greenwich.

I've had a "special" with all the above ingredients and extra king prawns and I love it! Very filling, fresh, unusual, but tasty!

Tomato varieties "Isle of Wight"

I've been to the Isle of Wight with the "Fifteen apprentices" where I work, to meet our suppliers. We went to see cherry fields, cheese production, live stock and tomatoes plants in massive green houses. I was surprised with so many varieties! I've seen "black tomatoes", long, sweet like a fruit, what they are, really.I love tomatoes and they are good for you! You can see some samples in the picture above.
  As well as plant types there are quite a number of different tomato fruit types. As a home grower, you can find many different – some weird and wonderful – varieties but the main types of fruit are listed below:

• Standard – the ‘normal’ tomato, spherical in shape and around an inch to an inch and a half in diameter.
• Cherry – just a small version of the normal tomato, often marble sized. Often from dwarf bush types.
• Beefsteak – a large version of the normal tomato. Because of their large size, these tomato varieties take longer to mature and ripen so really do not do well except in a greenhouse.
• Plum – the firm fleshed oval shaped fruit you find in Italian canned tomatoes. Tend to have been bred to store well as bottled (or canned) and they freeze well. (See Storing the Surplus)
• Marmande – large irregular shaped tomatoes. Often very tasty.
• Oxheart – cone shaped fruits, usually firm fleshed and good flavor.

Curry

I was introduced to "Curry " (Thai,Indian,Pakistani etc,) cuisines in the UK in 1998, before that, believe or not, I have never heard about it.
In Brazil,where I grew up, we knew very little about it,now is becaming more familiar, but still a considerate exotic for many.
Loved in Great Britain, curry is one of the Nation Favorite dishes.
You can find many recpies just to mention few: Masala,Byriani,Korma,Vindaloo( very spice), Thai Green or red, etc.
Tayyabs is a very well known Pakistani Punjab Restaurant near White Chapel,
I went there yesterday to check it out;
I had:

Karahi Gosht( Lamb)Curry
Karahi Bhindi (Okra)Vegetarian Curry
Pilau Fragrant rice
Everything was fresh, spice and delicious! If you are looking for a nice, reasonable priced curry pay a visit.
You won't regret!
Tayyabs, 83-89, Fieldgate St. London E1 1JU
Telephone
020 7247 6400 , 020 7247 9543 , 020 7247 8521

Cay Tre Vietnamise Restaurant

I'm a new fan of Vietnamese cuisine since I've discovered Cay Tree- The Vietnamese Kitchen Really cool, very nice custom wallpaper and little coloured bulbs on the wall.
There are many nice dishes you can try (I have tried quite a few) and after 3 visits I was never disappointed, but one particular dish called my attention;Cha Ca'La Vong Grilled fish,there is a note at the back of the menu explaining the dish and the Origin:the recipe comes from Cha Ca La Vong restaurant at Cha Ca Street in Ha Noi.(Considered to be one of the 10.000 places you have to visit before you die) The fish has to be carefully prepared before grilling;galingale and saffron must be ground and mixed to water and filtered through a piece of clean cloth to obtain a solution to which is added some drops of rice ferment and good quality fish sauce and the fish is immersed in this solution for two hours before grilling.
Grilling must be done using a pair of Bamboo tongs which are place on a stove of burning charcoal,this is not the end; the fish then, is cooked by the staff in front of you at table in a charcoal clay brazier stirring chives dill and the chunks of seasoned Garoup fish.
The aroma is quite unusual but don't be afraid to try!
If you are not as adventurous as me,try the delicious Bo'quan hia hong Campfire steak marinated with oyster sauce and sautéed in a clay pot( a Vietnamese favorite)
as a starter i suggest Canh Chua , a popular Vietnamese hot&sour soup with king prawns, delicate and fresh, it will make you feel alive!
thưởng thức (Enjoy!)
301 Old Street, London, EC1V 9LA
Telephone: 020 7729 8662

Welcome to Cyprus the mythical birthplace of Aphrodite

γεία σα = hello!
geia sas


Cyprus food is full of character



Mezze are small dishes Lovely breads,olives with coriander seeds, pickled vegetables can be radish,celery, raw onion and slices of lemon

Tahini Dip is also a must with all starters- Traditional dish served with Cypriot Meze.
Cyprus Beers are Kheo,Mythus,Leon(my favorite)and Carlsberg.Kheo dominates the market.
A typical Cypriot salad includes:Sliced cucumber,tomatoes,feta,lettuce, some times cabbage or rocket are added.
Lamb is The National Meat,I've tried barbecued,in lovely stews and cooked in clay oven, the last one is delicious and so tender that melts in your mouth.
You must try ‘Koupepia’ which is stuffed wine-leaves(with rice)cooked in tomato sauce.The culinary in Cyprus has a big Middle East influence. you can find Couscous,from Israel,kebabs from Turkey.
Souflakia or Kebab, is either bits of lamb or pork skewered and roasted by slow charcoal fire and eaten with chopped onion, salt and pepper in a pitta bread.
IN the Pitta you will find also Shiftalies they are small charcoal-grilled sausages made of minced meat. Thousands have tried to guess the secret of its unique taste, but the Cypriot’s aren’t telling!
National cheese is Halloumi: salty white cheese, made from lamb's milk
Desserts and Sweets
Soutjouko is made by threading a piece of string with nuts and then dipping it in the hot grape juice mixture which is made from grape juice or Moustari (as the Cypriots call it, some also call it Epsimo) and flour. This is boiled in a large cauldron then threaded onto the nuts. The string of nuts is dipped in the grape mixture a few times depending on how thick the household likes it, then hung out to dry in the sun..
They use almonds,pistachio, honey, rose water in their traditional sweets.
They also use a syrup extracted from Carob tree The fruit is very sweet, tasty and often used for feeding animals. In Cyprus it is also consumed in form of pekmez spread. The resin extracted from the seeds is also used in cosmetics, paper and textile industry.
To finish this feast you have a Cyprus Coffee with Loukoumades: similar to doughnuts with honey.
In case you are invited to someone's house to drink a coffee, don't be surprised if they turn their cups upside down onto the saucer after drinking the coffee. There are some people that say they can read your future from the coffee drains.
With a Special thanks to my new friends Solis and Eleftherios whose opinions and help where essential to my food research in Cyprus

θα σε δω σύντομα
tha se do syntoma!(See you soon!)