Spaghetti bolognese and Lasagna at Classic Cafe

Classic Cafe has been around for quite some time and is still going strong!

I finally tried it one day when I ran out of things to try in Croydon.

The service is quite friendly or one might find it too friendly.

It is can open cafe so you can see all their offering in the cabinet, the spaghetti and sauces looked fresh as well as the lasagne.

On the first visit I had the spaghetti bolognese which turned out to be fantastic hence the return.

What was impressive about the pasta was that it they actually tossed the spaghetti in the sauce after reheating it unlike other places where they just slap the sauce on top and reheat it in the microwave.

The bolognese sauce was really tasty and the meat was good while the spaghetti had a good al dente texture and elasticity.

Also on that visit, I had the apple pie with custard.

The second visit, I had lasagne which also didn't disappoint as the cheese and sauce was balanced without being too heavy.

Will be returning for the jacket potato with cheese.

Classic Cafe Croydon

1019, Whitgift Centre, 21 N End, Croydon CR0 1UT

Masala Fish at Chicks N Fish

Finally tried some masala fish because my brother kept telling me how good it was.
This is the only place in this stretch that serves it.

Chicks N Fish specialize in Masala Fish and Tempura Prawns.
Basically it is your usual fried fish coated with spices which is delicious and reminds me of Sichuan style fish however it was a little bit salty.

The fish was soft and moist tasting like Pollock fish.

They offer more than just fried chicken, I love the Indian twist to it as they offer modern burgers, wraps with aromatic rice or noodles and scrumptious fries so they are doing it all!

Technically they told me it was maggi noodles they used and since no one else is serving this I had to give the tempura prawns noodle wrap a try.

Although this is new in the UK, I am sure you can get them in India such as noodles in Kati rolls etc.

The most creative thing I had was instant noodles pressed in a waffle maker to make waffle noodles.

I opted for their tempura prawns because this is one of their signatures items at £7.50 which is quite pricey but as a wrap with noodles it is only £8.50 and you get to try their Maggi Noodles.

As expected, I really liked it, inside the wrap was soft instant noodles complimented by the crispy Tempura coated bouncy prawns. I definitely got my moneys worth as it was big springy prawns inside.

As this is a new item, they are still improving the recipe. 

Personally I like the sauce served on the side so you can appreciate the noodles and prawns and then add spicy sauce accordingly to your spiciness levels.

Also tried their BBQ wings but the chicken was a little hard and dry.

So Masala fish and the noodle wrap is your best bet and I will also try the Tempura prawns because it would be nice to try their take on.

Tempura Prawns:

Can't fault these huge prawns with a spiced coating.

Spicy wings:

Nice when they fresh from the fryer.

You can tell when the chicken meat is glistening and not grey.

Noodles:

These are basically Maggi noodles but it was served in a foil dish which was a first.

Just an update, they have finalized the menu with popular items and now they have tasty BBQ lamb ribs served with peri peri salt chips.

For vegetarians, there is a really good menu with halloumi burgers zinger style!

As well as mains, finished off with this aromatic and delicate Kufli lolly which was creamy and delicious.

Chicks N Fish

87 South End, Croydon CR0 1BG

London's first blue rice stall Eat Lah now at Boxpark Croydon, UK

Nasi Kerabu (blue rice) is a popular Malaysian dish in Asia.

It is blue because of the butterfly pea flower which is also used in drinks for instaworthy colour changes when lemon juice or something acidic is added changing the pH.

Now you can get Nasi Kerabu at Eat Lah, Boxpark Croydon in UK which is the first stall to serve blue rice.

They started off as a stall in June 2019 which proved so popular that they have now opened a permanent shop at Boxpark.

The only frustrating thing was that the unit is near the speakers that pump loud music so if you have a vocalcord abduction problem you can virtually give up asking any questions or ordering.

As a foodie, I still had to go to try the Nasi Kerabu to see how it fares with the ones I have tried in Asia.

At Eat Lah, they have vegetarian version with tofu and aubergine or the regular one with chicken satay and turmeric chicken.

I got the ayam percik with extra tofu.

Nasi Kerabu

The combo here is filling and balanced but I think the prawn crackers and toasted coconut was missing according to the recent photos and menu.

Anyway as a rice fan, I dug in the pyramid of blue rice first.

It was soft and fluffy, the star of the show was the ginger puree which is similar to the paste you get for Hainan chicken but here there was interesting salty kick which tastes like salted fish but it was pink.

The salted fish appears to be the budu according to the menu.

I was so glad I added the tofu because they were so generous with it, the tofu was soft and supple in this creamy coconut sauce.

Moving on to the chicken, you could really taste the chargrilled flavours, both the texture of the chicken satay and coconut chicken were quite firm as there was some resistance to the fork.

Overall, worth trying 

Saturday:  Lloyd Park E17 10-4pm

Sunday: Crystal Palace Market SE19 10-4pm

Sunday: Victoria Park E3 10-5pm 

Boxpark Croydon

[Bad Axe Throwing] New Axe throwing experience in Croydon

Axe throwing is the trend in Canada and the USA and it is now getting popular in the UK.
Before lockdown I had planned to go to one in Central London.
Now you can go axe throwing in Croydon located at Box Park.

The Bad Axe Throwing group is the world's biggest urban axe throwing club.

Their mission is to bring the thrill of a traditional Canadian backyard pastime to urban communities. 

With the help of their talented axe throwing coaches, hundreds of thousands of people have been able to share our passion for throwing axes. 

They pride themselves in delivering outstanding customer service to all of their clients whether it's for walk-ins, leagues, private parties and team building events.

Bad Axe Throwing was founded by CEO Mario Zelaya in the fall of 2014. Mario is based in southern Ontario, therefore the first doors we opened were in Burlington, Ontario. 

In just a few years, they've expanded across Canada and the United States with over 40 locations!

I was so glad, I tried Axe throwing which is quite physical because the axe is quite heavy.

In that respect, it would be great if you they had axes of different weight and sizes for people of different physiques just like bowling balls.

It was all about getting the physics right and standing the right distance according to your throw.

The coach Andrew was really detailed and helpful explaining the techniques so after many misses and a few successes I finally got a bullseye which was only captured on their CCTV because I accidentally did not press record that time.

Overall, I had a super fun time.

After some strenuous axe throwing, I had the Bullseye Bubble that was thirst quenching and instaworthy to finish off a great day!

UNIT 53-57 BOXPARK CROYDON

0208 103 0300

11am - 8pm

Restaurant area with an Axe Throwing view:

Axe Throwing in action:

Official pictures from Bad Axe: