Happy 2013! (1/365)

I'm not a fan of New Year's Eve. Something always seems to go wrong, sometimes catastrophically. I've had one New Year's Eve that I truly enjoyed from start to finish, in 2008, and included some of my favourite people in the world, having a murder mystery dinner at home. But it was the exception that proved the rule.

Having had a pretty challenging year (some of my friends say I can be the queen of understatement), I'm keen for the fresh start a flip of a new calendar seems to bring.  I mean, we've even moved across the world, to start a new life, just the two of us. This hasn't been without its own challenges, not least being the seemingly un-Australian level of bureaucracy I've encountered (but that's another story all together).

To kick start our New Year, I decided to cook a fry-up for breakfast. Fresh eggs from the Grandparentals neighbour, with decent Aussie bacon, polished off with a hunk of delicious watermelon. What I hadn't considered was our lack of cooking utensils. Most of our stuff is still en-route from the UK.

Have you ever tried to get a fried egg out of not a non-stick pan without a spatula?

I managed to get Pickle's out - his breakfast was perfect. My egg cracked as I was getting it out of the pan, but managed to make it to the plate still runny. So while it wasn't perfect, it was pretty darn close. If this is a metaphor for our year ahead, I'll be happy with it.

So on that note... Happy New Year!

I've realised that if I'd had the right tools, my breakfast would have been perfect too... so what do you consider to be the right tools for a happy life?

Cheers, KangaRue

PS. My Project 365 went kaput last year for obvious reasons, so I'm going to keep it pretty basic this year and see how I go - wish me luck?

57/366 - Allergic Reaction?

Pickle is a breast-fed baby, so we've not had a lot of contact with formula, and when we did it wasn't particularly successful (rant warning!).  A week or so ago he had Weetbix mixed with formula.  We're doing baby-led weaning, which means he feeds himself the majority of the time, and some foods do tend to go every where.  Wherever it came into contact with his skin turned red within a couple of minutes after contact.  It didn't seem to disturb him particularly, and he hasn't seemed to have any gastro-intestinal issues, but I couldn't get him into the bath quick enough.  I wasn't sure if it was the wheat or the milk and was reluctant to try either again.

57/366 - 26 Feb 2012

So today we tried the teeny pots of fromage frais that seem to be loved by babies, and while he seemed to enjoy it well enough, again within a couple of minutes his skin turned very red.  Unfortunately it also got into his eyes (he rubbed his hands into them), so I rushed him into the bath.  The below photo is after his bath, and the red in the photo doesn't show up as bright as it did in real life.  It soon settled down, but until we get home to the UK and can try to get him some allergy testing we're avoiding milk.  I'd love to hear if anyone has had a similar experience?

Cheers, KangaRue :)

London's "Best African Restaurant"?

The latest pocket version of the DLR's Get Out More landed on my desk. Unenthusiastically picking it up - my local foodie scene is dire - I was amazed to seen an entry for Woolwich!  Touted as "the best African restaurant in London" as rated by West Africans my enthusiasm took a sudden leap, and I dashed around organising a twEATup with friends at Marble.

I dropped by the restaurant a couple of weekends before the date to secure a table - previous attempts by email and telephone having been unsuccessful.  We needn't have worried, as we were the only people in attendance on the day.  The chef and waiter were enthusiastic that us non-Africans wanted to try their food - I'd quizzed a couple of friends from work as to what we should eat, so came across as knowledgeable.  I was also asked what we'd likely be drinking, so they could make sure to have stock - white wine, and cocktails thanks very much.

The day arrived, BoyWonder and I were joined by Aussie_Foodie and her hubby and another couple of friends.  We were shuffled downstairs, and while cooler away from the heat of the kitchen, it was very dimly lit - beyond mood lighting.  (So apologies for the below par photos).  We ordered cocktails, and were briskly told that we had said we wanted to order wine.  Umm, yes, but we'd like to start with one of the cocktails on your menu... not going to happen as they didn't have any of the booze in.  A couple of us ordered some Nigerian beers (tasty) along with a bottle of white wine.  A packet of paper napkins was placed on our table.  I've nothing against paper napkins, but display can make a difference.

We decided to try some Puff Puffs -doughnut like, it would have been improved by some sort of dipping sauce, but was liked all round.

Next to arrive were the Meat Sticks.  I think we all pictured some sort of barbecued kebab, but chicken drumsticks arrived.  They were tasty though, so no complaints.

An hour after we ordered the wine it arrived.  At room temperature.  Without any ice.  Did I mention it was white wine?!

Fish Pepper Soup has been recommended by my friends.  And boy did it pack a punch.  Starts as a slow build, then grabs you by the back of the throat to swing you around the room!  Loved the taste, but not sure the texture was for me.

The next dish of the day arrived... sort of.  We'd ordered Jollof Rice and fried plantain served with assorted meat (this was to include goat - something I've heard good things about, but have never tried).  The rice arrived - delicious... the plantain arrived, tasty... and it would have been a good accompaniment for the meat if that had ever arrived.  We'd also ordered Fish Rolls that we never saw either.  Thankfully none of the no-shows appeared on the bill, so there was no need to discuss it.

We decided to live dangerously and order a dish none of us had a clue what it was: Nkwobi.  We didn't understand the description given - we all thought the waiter had said "cat food", but went for it anyway.  I'll try anything once... Turned out it was cow foot!  And boy did it smell.  It looked a bit like cat food too I suppose!  Actually quite a nice taste, it's cooked in traditional herbs and has a similar texture to biltong.  But I couldn't get past the smell for more than a couple of bites.

So bad and sometimes rude service, but the food that did show up was tasty - I won't be rushing back though.  So is this London's best African restaurant?  I certainly hope not. 

Cheers, KangaRue

PS.  The restaurant is currently closed due to major breaches of cleanliness - infestations of cockroaches and vermin and NO HOT WATER... at all... I dread to think, actually, I just won't!

Three-Star Disappointment

I've been remiss in my blogging - and while life has been busy, I can only blame it on possibly one of the worst dining experiences of my life.  I knew I had to tackle the evening, and have had lovely experiences elsewhere since (further blogs to follow in quick succession no doubt), but I kept reaching a block every time I thought about this dinner.  So where was this fateful evening held?  No less than the 3-Michelin starred Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester.

It wasn't all bad.  The setting is exquisite, with neutral mushroom tones and highlights of pink around the room - I particularly liked the water glasses (and at £6 a bottle for the water, I'm glad I had something nice to drink out of!) - and the subdued lighting gives it a relaxed feel.  I loved the shimmering fibre optics that are the centre point of the room where they cascade from the ceiling (directly behind our seats).

And while I'm still not sure of the point of the ceramic vegetables on each table other than for amusement, the tableware is otherwise beautiful.  That is of course, except for our mis-matched wine glasses... having ordered from the extensive wine list with whopping mark-ups (there is very little below the £50 mark), we were presented with two different shaped wine glasses.  Not what we expected from a restaurant of this calibre, however, when we pointed it out to our waiter, we were brushed off with "they're hand blown".

Unsurprisingly France dominates the wine list, however BoyWonder decided on a £45 Austrian wine: Anton Bauer's Zweigelt 2005, which proved to be the highlight of the evening.  I've been unable to find the 2005 vintage online, but the 2006 is retailing for £13 a bottle.  It was a wine with depth, that opened up beautifully with cherry and mocha tones - a perfect match for our main-course veal in particular.

And so back to the food.  Every dish was beautiful to look at.  Unfortunately the taste did not live up to the aesthetics.  Our amuse-bouche arrived, elegantly presented, and while it is meant to please our taste buds it was like drinking liquid salt.  I'm pretty sure my Mum got me to gargle with something equivalent as a child with a sore throat.


The starter of seafood ravioli, looked amazing.  It arrived in black and white splendour (the black coming from squid ink) and the waiter poured the bright green herb sauce with a flourish around the dish.  It came with tender calamari, which thankfully balanced the puree of seafood that filled the ravioli and resembled something along the lines of baby food.

The main course however was lovely, albeit a little on the small side.  The veal and vegetables was beautifully cooked - all round a well balanced dish.

Dessert arrived and looked sensational, I think it was called something bizarre like The Girl from Ipanema.  It was pineapple mousse topped with a vanilla foam, served with a frangipane on the side.  The vanilla foam was delicious, but the chunks of pineapple that separated the layers didn't work texturally with the dish.

To finish, I decided on a tea from The Dorchester's extensive selection, which was delightful.  BoyWonder went for coffee, and has described it as the "most despicable coffee" he has ever tasted and "probably the worst in the world"... we sent it back, and even our Aussie waiter agreed that it wasn't the forte of the restaurant.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't food taste good?!  The restaurant's website states: "Awarded Three Michelin Stars, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester became the second restaurant in London to receive this prestigious accolade.  Three Stars denote 'exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey'"...  My personal experience is that Monsieur Ducasse has been awarded on his name and reputation and this restaurant - in my humble opinion - is undeserving of even One, let alone Three Michelin Stars.

Cheers, KangaRue