The Eyeful

London is just one of those cities where a great dining experience can be just around the corner. Unfortunately, it is also like every major western city where around the corner you will find a fried chicken shack or a cup of really watered down Ethiopian coffee. In order to avoid such pitfalls of horrifying consumption you really have to keep your eyes and ears on the prowl for new and interesting places. While riding the No. 14 bus up Piccadilly Road, my eyes caught sight of one such place called Napket. After quickly googling their menu and noting their by line of ‘Snob Food’ I instantly Facebooked my friend with an invitation to join me for dinner.

The following week I met my friend on Piccadilly road for our arranged date at Napket. Alas our meeting point was the granddaddy of the macaron, Laduree, and given that I recently classified the macaron as the synthetic cousin of the cupcake my spirits were crackling like the fine underbelly fat of a roasting piglet. Luckily in entering Napket my spirits were lifted by the cool interior contrast of the black panelling and furnishing with the hanging silver chandeliers and exposed brick walls. In researching online I discovered that this eating area is referred to as the ‘living room’ with the ‘library’ room placed further inside the establishment for those intending to only consume beverages.

Having dotted on the unmistakably ‘wow factor’ ambiance I can get to the bread and meat of the matter. The ‘living room’ and the ‘library’ were both being attended to by the same two person waiting staff. Thus it was no surprise to us that we had quite a wait to place our order as well as to actually lay our taste buds upon it. However, the Eastern European staff was pleasant and a bit quirky. When we inquired about their bread (something the pantry by the entrance of Napket makes look very tempting) we were told ‘I’m sorry but the bread is still in the oven, would you mind waiting for when it is out?’ I believe the grimace on my face may have confused the waiter…

Eventually I was served my order of a French Onion soup with a gruyere crouton. It is debatable if this was a soup or rather a dish with an enormous piece of toasted brown bread with cheese submerged in a bit of broth. This visual technicality turned out to be only a nomenclatural technicality as this dish was indeed French Onion soup. It had that unmistakable caramelised onion flavour while the ‘crouton’ had the rich and heavy cream taste that is typical of a gruyere topping. I must admit, this rustic (check out the cast iron dish it was served in) interpretation of one of my all time favourite soups was mentally refreshing but physically far too satisfying. I believe the soup could have done with more broth and a smaller portion of ‘crouton’ as the overall package was a bit heavy. Having said that, if I was Bobby Brown and the soup was Whitney Houston, I would totally hit that bitch again and again.

Helena Maratheftis, my dining companion and photographer (she took the accompanying photos) had placed a far superior order to mine. Whilst I forgot the formal menu name it was a chicken casserole dish which I sampled and subsequently proclaimed divine. The chicken was absolutely perfectly, it was soft and tender with a light meaty after taste that indicated it was cooked lovingly in the ‘just right’ amount of herbs and spices. Having said that, I would like to caution the reader that I do not know the extent to which this review of the chicken dish was biased by the ‘BUT MOMMY I want what she has!’ syndrome.

Napket, it is a place to feast your eyes and share some intimate moments with your plus one or plus more. If you so should choose to go beyond the many cafe-esque beverages on offer in order to dine then be prepared to be spoiled. With home comfort foods gone professional, Napket more than satisfies the stringent demands of proper food snobs like us here at Love Food Love Me and does so at reasonable prices. If you are in London you are always welcome to treat me to a meal here.

Napket (Piccadilly), SnobFood Ltd
www.napket.com
5 Vigo Street, London
(44) 20 7734 4387

Breakfast at Benjamins Steakhouse

I walked into this place one day for breakfast at approx. 11:30am. Everything felt rushed. Their breakfast buffet had apparently just closed for the day and the waiters were bussling to fix the floor. It was rather empty – about 3 tables full including myself. The service in the beginning ws abrupt but it didnt surprise me. Everyone dismisses you when you arrive in a hoodie with sunglasses and wet jeans (it was raining, gimme a break). I wasnt getting a great vibe so I sat there and sipped my Lady Earl Grey and awaited what I thought was going to be a horrendous breakfast.

Then the food came out and it was delicious. The eggs were poached to perfection and the potatoes were soft on the inside, crispy on the outside, and seasoned well - nothing soggy/overly hard/ or tasteless. That aside, the homemade roast beef hash was the main focus of the dish and it was delightful. It had full chunks of freshly made/diced beef and potatoes. Straightforward and gosh darn amazing. The only mystery on the plate was the sorta citrusy hollandise that was served in a cup and put to the side. The menu didnt mention the inclusion of this item and frankly it was necessary…but it was still yummy and light.  Also, I didnt receive toast. Did the chef decide to give me hollandise instead of toast with my breakfast? Why add on the extra calories of the hollandise but not include toaste. Poached eggs without toast? It wasnt a big deal…just puzzling.

Review conclusion: the roast beef hash is so delicious I plan on eating it again and again even with the lack of toast and hurried service.

Poached Eggs N Hash

Sunchokes: An Unsung American Hero

Sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, sunroots, earth apples, and topinambur, are actually the roots and related to sunflowers. The sunchoke has a long American history, they were cultivated by the Native Americans long before European settlers arrived. Although not as popular as some other tubers in the US (ahem..the potato) they are much more nutritious. Sunchokes have prebiotic properties which are great for intestinal health and also contain vitamin C, phosphorus and potassium. They are also a great source of iron.

Even better than all that – they taste awesome. When raw they resemble water chestnuts and when roasted they have a nutty, sweet, and slightly salty taste. The natural sweetness of the tuber makes the roots almost carmelize when you roast them, creating a delicious and healthy sidedish to any meal.

16 oz of sunchokes: washed, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 carrots diced

2 celery stalks diced

4 tbs of olive oil

salt and pepper optional

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees

- After cutting the sunchokes, rinse them, dry them, and mix them with carrots and celery. Coat in olive oil/salt/pepper.

- Roast for 45: flip every once and awhile after 30 min mark otherwise sunchokes will stick to the bottom of the pan

Chicken Soup

I love soup – especially chicken soup. You can make it from the scraps of your last dinner and can keep it in the frig for a week or more. I usually make this the day after I make a roasted chicken -nothing goes to waste!

 1 chicken carcass

1/2 cup of chopped carrots

1/2 cup of chopped celery

1/2 cup of sliced onions

1/4 cup of leeks

1 cup of white wine

1 cup of water

1 8oz. can of chicken broth

1/4 cup of chopped parsnips

 sprigs of sage, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram in a bouquet garni (tie them together and cheese cloth so you can pull it out afterwards)

2 tbs. of salt

pepper to taste

- Remove whatever chicken is left on the carcass and set aside.

- Put chicken carcass in a large pot with water, wine, herbs, salt, and chicken broth. Simmer for an hour. Remove chicken carcass and set aside.

- Put carrots, celery, onions, and leeks in the soup pot and simmer for another hour.

Roasted Chicken Zucchini Boats

I love zucchini boats – my father made them all the time growing up. We would generally make them with sausage but this one made with leftover chicken is just fantastic. Never throw leftover chicken away!

2 large zucchinis
1 cup of roasted chicken meat
1/4 cup of finely diced carrots
1/4 cup of finely diced celery
1/4 cup of finely diced onions
1/4 cup of white wine
1/3 cup of parmesean cheese
3 tbs of butter
salt and pepper

Preheat Oven to 350

Dice veggies and saute in pan with butter. After translucent add wine and chicken meat and cheese. Cook until mixed together and some of the wine has evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cut zucchinis in half and hollow them out. Put zucchini flesh aside (you can cook this with wine and put back in the zucchini if you run out of filling.)

Bake in a for 45-60 minutes (depending on size of zucchinis – make sure foil and/or pan is greased properly)

Veggies for Dinner!...Zuc on the Right is just Twice Baked..no meat

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Roasted pork tenderloins are a bit tricky – they can easily dry out in the oven if you leave them in too long. I usually try to counteract this by browning the pork on the stovetop and then roasting it covered in foil. You should defintely make this – even if its just 2 of you – the leftovers can be used for salads, sandwiches, and even breakfast.

1 lb. pork tenderloin

2 tbs of garlic powder

2 tbs of paprika

1 tbs of ground cumin

1 ts. of sea salt

1 bunch of sage

4 tbs of white wine vinegar

1/2 cup of water

For Meat:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

- Combine all spices (except sage) and roll tenderloin in spice mix.

- Brown the meat in a frying pan on each side for approx. 4 minutes each

- Remove meat from the pan and place in baking dish with water and vinegar. Place most of the sage underneath the pork (this will make a delicious broth for gravy) and place 3 springs of sage ontop of the meat. Wrap the dish in foil.

- Bake for 60-75 minutes (depending on the typical ‘hotness’ of your oven).

For Gravy:

- Warm 1 tbs of butter in the pan you used to brown the meat

- Add 1 tbs of Wondra to the butter and mix until melted.

- Slowly add the drippings from the baking dish into the mixture and cook under medium heat until thick

- After gravy is thickened, wring out the sage that rested on the bottom of the pork into the gravy. The juices from the sage should be a dark green and will add wonderful flavor.

My Love of Asian Buns

“Come along inside… We’ll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place.”

-Kenneth Grahame, ‘The Wind in the Willows‘

I was introduced to the wonderful world of Asian buns - both steamed and baked –  when a new coffeehouse named ‘Honey Cabin’ opened up a few blocks away from my house. I remembering walking in for the first time and being hit in the face with a waft of sweet/savory bread aromas. It smelled amazing. I was already enthralled before I got to the counter to see the array of delicious bready foods on display. It soon became my favorite place on the Island to eat both for its delicious food and insanely cheap prices.

My saliva is increasing just looking at it

I created a list of new favorite snacks. The coconut cream buns were one of their truly irresistible treats. Fluffy sweet dough, baked to perfection,  stuffed with a not-too-sweet coconut flaked cream, and then covered in coconut flakes. Sometimes the bun was stuffed with an eggy custard, or a sweet red bean paste, or even a chocolate/peanut butter combo. All for under $1.  For $5 I would stuff my bag with goodies and eat them all throughout the day during my classes – needless to say I fully blame Honey Cabin for my increase in mass during my college years.

Then there is the delicious roasted pork bun  – my ultimate downfall. Savory moist meat packed into a light and fluffy bun with just the hint of sweetness surrounding it. Never too heavy and always the right price. I could literally eat 5 of them in one sitting.  Ever so often I would go for the steamed buns – the best and fluffiest you could ever order.

Honey Cabin closed a few years ago and I have beeen lamenting the loss ever since. Now I have to travel to get my Asian bun fix. Here are a few places I go out of my way for:

Fay Da Bakery – you can also pick up a great bubble tea here

327 Canal Street

Golden Fung Wong Bakery

41 Mott Street

Canal Bakery

242 Canal Street

Warm Roasted Garlic Hummus

Hummus is one of those delish dishes thats good for any occasion. Its great as a snack when you’re watching a movie, perfect for a party when you don’t want to serve a fatty dip, and great on a sandwich for a healthy lunch. Unforunately, there is a lot of mediocre hummus out there being sold to unsuspecting customers across America. Don’t settle for mediocre when you can make it yourself at home in less than 15 minutes.

This recipe serves it warm (since thats my favorite) but you can serve it chilled or room temperature – just omit the oven/topping part.

Hummus Base

Topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place garlic in oven safe pan and drizzle with olive oil. Roast garlic in oven for 20 minutes. After cooled peel the cloves from the head and set aside. Leave oven on.
 
Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process the chickpeas and the garlic together. Add the rest of the hummus base ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste for seasoning.

Change oven temperature to 400 degrees.

 Place in oven safe shallow casserole dish (earthenware maybe?). Heat butter in a skillet and add mushrooms, cayenne, and the minced shallot. Cook until soft. Pour over hummus base and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve with wedges of flatbread.

oh....so good