Bar Meze, Clapham High St

I went out for a work friend (Els) birthday last night to a Greek place on Clapham High St. El is actually from Cyprus so we thought a Greek restaurant would be great for her. It has a great feel to it as it is small with only about 8 tables and one older Greek man serving. It serves a meze style where you only chose veggie or meat and then a whole host of dishes is brought out, most of which I had no idea what they were!

The owner is your waiter giving it a real family feel to it and he spent a while chatting to all his 'guests' explaining the health benefits of the food, some definitely more true than others. For instance apparently beetroot will prevent women requiring hormones after the menopause but make men more comfortable when flying????? There were a large number of these brilliant claims but I will leave you to find them out for yourselves.

The food was great and according to El a very traditional meze but more healthy than she would get in Cyprus which is definitely a bonus.

As well as the food my favorite part was the price. It is very good value for exceptional food and a large amount of it too! So if you fancy a Greek evening, vouched for by a true Greek, then this is a great place to go!

Berkeley Hotel, Blue Bar

So this is my first addition to the blog and thought I would suggest a place for a really special occasion. So as I am sadly leaving London was treated to a few drinks in the Blue Bar at the Berkeley hotel by my good friend Dan. It is definitely in the higher price range but for a couple of cocktails and a relaxed evening is perfect.

As the name suggests all the decor is blue, we're talking about walls, floor and chairs here and definitely a place to dress to impress! The cocktails were AMAZING! I had the 'Italian Job'; an ingenious cocktail which contains orange, passion fruit, vodka and dry ice. The overall effect is of a bubbling martini glass of liquid emitting smoke. Looks fantastic and tastes even better. My expression at this drink must have been a common one as before my waiter had finished pouring explained I could 'drink at my will!' Unfortunately this was not a cheap drink at £17 but worth the taste as a treat.

I would recommend this for a few drinks with the girls, date night if you are wanting to seriously impress or just a treat with a friend.

Summer holibobs reads

 The Snowman by Jo Nesbø (Vintage, 2010) *****

If you are into being scared out of you wits and biting off your fingernails while poring over a gripping paperback, then read this book. If you are not, then still read this book.

     The Snowman is the seventh out of eight all-engrossing books in the “Harry Hole” series created by Jo Nesbø. It doesn’t matter if you don't read them in order, as you pick up the necessary background info as you go.

     In this book the main character of the series, detective Harry Hole, investigates brutal murders sticking to a creepy snowman theme. Jo sets the scene beautifully on the first page and describes the snow covering the grass like a “down duvet”, which contrasts with the pace and suspense that takes off in the first chapter and carries the reader through to the totally riveting conclusion.

Well-worth packing in your/your partner’s/your parents’ suitcase.

 One Day by David Nicholls (Hodder & Stoughton, 2009)*****

This book is at the opposite end of the spectrum to The Snowman and one for those who like their reads to be a little more heart-warming, but with the possibility of laughter and/or tears along the way. David Nicholls absorbs the reader so skilfully and intently into the lives of the two main characters, Emma and Dexter, and their relationship with each other and others, that it is impossible not to feel like you have ridden a rollercoaster of emotion at the end.

     One Day provides the reader with a snapshot of one day each year - every 15th July from 1988 to nearly the present day - in the lives of Emma and Dexter. It is funny, frustrating and touching, a constant “will they/won’t they?” story of growing up and friendship.

Ideal for: anyone.

**NEWSFLASH** David Nicholls is talking about this incredible book in October http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jul/28/david-nicholls-book-club?CMP=twt_fd

 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Black Swan, 2007) *****

Another potentially teary one, this book starts a bit strangely, but once you persevere and get into the bulk of the story you find a truly moving and heart-rending story about Liesel, a young girl living in WWII Germany. Partly told through her eyes, partly through those of Death, and also through those of a Jewish man in hiding in the basement, it portrays life under Nazi rule in an uplifting and tragic story.

Keep the tissues handy.

 Room by Emma Donoghue (Picador, 2010) ***

Narrated by the innocent 5 year old Jack, this startling story of fiction portrays Jack’s complete unawareness of any other world outside the garden shed – Room - where he lives with his Ma. Very creepy, yet moving, you feel like you want to protect and help both Jack and Ma as they come to terms with Room and what lies beyond.

Make sure you and your sister read it.

 The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (Virago Press, 2009) ****

A spooky old house in postwar Britain contains something or someone that doesn’t want the inhabiting family there anymore. The local somewhat dull doctor befriends the daughter of the family living in the house and it is from his disbelieving perspective that a strange series of occurrences take place within the house.

     The book is not only spooky and hauntingly mesmerising; it offers a view of a Britain transformed from the remnants of a rigid Victorian class system to a post war, reshuffled society.

Pack it for: you/your mum.

 Guernica by Dave Boling (Picador, 2009)

A love story intertwined with the pre WWII bombing of Guernica by the Germans, and Picasso’s movements to painting his famous piece of the same name.

One for: you/your brother/your partner.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Bloomsbury, 2007) *****

This tragic, beautifully-crafted story portrays the separate lives of Marian and Laila living in Afghanistan, that eventually entwine. It covers class, religion, sexual roles, child rearing, work, education, and community and at times you are willing the women to be OK and safe. I could not stop thinking about them and their harsh lives between reads. Prepare to be moved.

Good for: you/your mum/your sister.

 Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada (Penguin, 2010) ****

Another historical tale from Germany during the Second World War, this one tells the story of the lives of several characters in Berlin.

     One of the main characters, Otto Quangle, is so disillusioned with Nazism and Hitler after the death of his son in battle, that he stages a brave, yet calm and isolated and completely secret resistance to the Nazis, with the help of his wife. Their neighbours have interlinking stories that all play a part in the Quangle’s defiance.

One for: your dad.

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory (Simon & Schuster, 2009) ***

Elizabeth Grey falls head over heels for King Edward and vice versa, they marry and have many children, but then the Cousin’s Wars ensue and the family is all but torn apart. Will Elizabeth’s two prince sons and heirs to the throne ever be restored to their family after the infamous plot to kill them in their beds supposedly happened?

Take it for you/your mum/your granny.

Devon Delights

Did you know on average, chickens lay on average 325 eggs a year? Times that by 20, add a flock of ducks and a scattering of geese and that's an awful lot of eggs to contend with.


 I am currently looking after my Mum's farm in beautiful Devon, watching these eggs stack up at an astonishing rate and so decided to do something about it today. I know this really should have involved whipping up some meringues or angel cake to use them up but instead we decided on chocolate cupcakes. I know I know... cupcakes are growing old, they have been done to death and the amount of times I have bitten into a dry, tired cupcake has taught me that they need a rehaul. They need to be perfect every time and there are a couple of things you can do to ensure this.  Two super important rules when making cakes are:


1. Always weigh the eggs. Eggs come in a variety of sizes and if they are too big, the cakes will end up dense and heavy. They should weigh the same amount as the butter and sugar.


2. If you are making a vanilla, almond, lemon or any other flavour that should produce a yellow cake, always use free -range eggs - the colour of the yolk is amazing and will drastically improve the colour of your finished cake. (Its ALL about the eggs!)


We decided on chocolate cupcakes as, when asked what he would like her to bake, my sister's boyfriend started reminiscing about her birthday cake (3 tiered chocolate fudge cake covered in yellow sunflowers). I always think cupcakes shouldn't be just a straight forward sponge,  it is nicer to be pleasantly surprised when you bite into them rather than sickened by the two inches of toxic pink icing your teeth have sunk through, only to find that the sponge, once found is dry as a bone. You want it to have a surprisingly soft, moist sponge from the first bite to the last (and making you wish there was another!). 

The recipe we created is below:

Mary-Kate's Cuppitycakes

-Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3
-Line 2 large cupcake tins (the small ones just don't do it justice) with muffin cases
Heat 100g dark chocolate (low cocoa-content if possible) with 200g unsalted butter, 200g light brown sugar and 100ml hot water
-Set aside for 2 minutes and then stir in 100ml single cream and 2 eggs (200g)
-Use an electric whisk to beat in 200g self-raising flour and 5tbsp good quality cocoa powder until the mixture is lump-free.
-Fill the cases 1/2 full, add 1/4 teaspoon of blackberry jam and then fill the cases to 3/4 full
-Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top cracks and rises. A skewer won't come out clean because of the jam so best to use your judgement
-Leave them in the tin for 5 minutes and then set out on a cooling rack


-While these are cooling, roll out some royal icing as thin as you can and cut into roughly 10cm by 2cm rectangles.
-Roll the rectangle back on itself and experiment working it into a spiral to create a rose bud. Repeat until you have enough for your cakes
-For the icing heat 200g milk chocolate with 150ml single cream until you have a smooth consistency.
-Once the cakes are cooled smooth on the icing with the back of a teaspoon and add a white rose on top. Don't worry if the cakes  have sunk a bit- because of the jam this is quite normal and the rose will subtly cover it!


Also, when trying to bake whilst entertaining a 2 month old baby, you need this:

 My mother is a genius. He lies in his bouncy chair with the elastic around his feet and every time he kicks it moves - so much entertainment for a little person and meant we could bake to our heart's content!


Anyway tomorrow we are making gluten-free apple crumble cake. Stay posted!

Super Sushi

It turns out last Friday night was a popular night for dates! Jim surprised me by booking a table at the small branch of Ukai Sushi on Wandsworth Road, Lambeth. "Table booked for 8pm, be ready for quarter to" the last message he sent me at work that day said, but it didn't include any details of where we were going...Luckily I had an inkling it would be this sushi restaurant as I'd been banging on about it for weeks before. Neither of us had eaten sushi out before, and my sushi expertise only entended to the little lunch packs you can get from Tescos or M&S, so I was really looking forward to it.

We started with a small jug of hot Sake, not out of pleasure, but Jim had never had it before and I thought it a staple part of first-time Japanese dining. Surprisingly, we got through the whole jug (it did seem to get nicer after a few egg-cup-fulls!) Miso soup (£2) and Endamame beans (£2.50) were next and addictively salty. I could eat Endamame beans until I die.

We followed with the tuna and salmon mixed platter and the jumbo mixed platter for mains (about £13-16 a platter).

I know that most sushi consists of raw fish, but I was still a bit unsure about the seemingly huge slabs of plain, raw tuna and salmon atop of raw carrot and onion on the selection platters. But once they were dipped in soy sauce they tasted fine, although it took some self-distraction to not keep thinking about how there was a chunk of raw fish swilling about your mouth for 30 seconds...To take my mind off it, I dared Jim to eat a pea-sized lump of Wasabi with hilarious consequences!

The house white wine was nothing to write home about - not sure if it was Japanese or just a budget brand.

All in all a very intimate and cute little restaurant, well-worth a visit if you've never had sushi and if you're not keen on the raw fish aspect, there are plenty of other options including vegetables, beef and duck.

Ciao!

Dinner at Zilouf's, Islington

After our cocktails on Friday, Tom and I stumbled on our merry way to a highly recommendable restaurant on Upper Street called Zilouf's. Despite spending a vast amount of time in Angel, I was surprised that the place had never caught my eye. With so many bars and restaurants on Upper Street, I suppose it's not too difficult to stroll past without noticing anything in particular. 

The food was a tasty mix of Asian flavour with Western substance and meaty-ness! We shared scallops to start, followed by the rib of beef, which was so massive that I had to take a photo to share with you! Definitely enough to feed three. Or perhaps two growing men, but certainly too much for the two of us having eaten a starter, filled up on homemade bread (couldn't help it, it looked so pretty and tasty!), side of chunky chips and wok veg.

The waitress serving us was really friendly and helpful, and the atmosphere was buzzing with a mixture of parties, couples and families - a great place for all occasions.

I didn't realise at the time, but Zilouf's is also renowned for its cocktails, which I didn't have the chance to sample as we moved on to a bottle of red. I was disappointingly too full for dessert, but they sounded really tempting - 'Passion fruit brulee w/ lime shortbread and lychee fruit salad'. Ahh well, something to look forward to next time!

• great service
• Asian/Western cuisine
• known for cocktails
• lively atmosphere
• Great value at approx £15 main, £6 starter/dessert

Cosy cocktails at 69 Colebrooke Row, Islington

Last night, Tom planned a date night and took me to a a cosy cocktail bar that I wanted to share with you all. It's known as 'the bar with no name' - 69 Colebrooke Row, just off Essex Road in Angel, Islington. 

We popped in for a couple of pre-dinner cocktails - I had a Rhubarb Gimlet (one of their summer specials) and an Expresso Martini. Both were carefully crafted by lab-coated bartenders and served by attractive ladies with some great little niblettes (olives, roasted almonds and little savoury biscuits).

• Very intimate and cosy, expect to sit quite close to others
• Old-fashioned feel
• Recommend booking on Friday and Saturday
• Approx £10 a cocktail

Rhubarb Gimlet -

 Homemade Rhubarb Cordial stirred with Beefeater Gin and a Grapefruit Twist