Mussel Dolma and Istanbul Street food specialists at The Midyeci

I stumbled upon The Midyeci which turned out to be a Turkish gem when I was going to the ramen shop.

It got my attention because they were selling mussels and it wasn't French moule frites.

When I went inside, I was greeted with a cabinet of mussels but I couldn't quite make out what cuisine it was as everything was new to me.

After asking the lady, she said it was Turkish so I was really delighted because it was so different to your usual doner, kofte and pide etc.

Looking at the menu, the dolma midyeci is obviously the signature and they had so much to choose from like mackerel sandwich/wrap, grilled mussel burger/wrap, fried seafood (calamari, prawns and mussels) which are all Istanbul street foods.

You can really trust this place serves authentic Turkish foods by the Turkish diners in there.

I was offered a Midye dolma [stuffed mussel] to try and it just tasted amazing with a few drops of fresh lemon.

How did they even stuff them because you open them like regular mussels and they are already stuffed with rice while the mussel scallop is still attached to the shell!!

After asking them, it turns out that they buy them when they are alive, then they painstakingly open them one by one and stuff them with half cooked rice and steam them.

In the end, I got the grilled mussels burger which is a mussel patty with lettuce and pickles and cheese.

I mean how often do you see a mussel burger on the menu, the closest thing I have tried is an oyster burger.

While I was waiting, my attention was on the pink jar of water filled evidently with pickles and not fruit/veg like your regular detox water.

As a foodie, I asked for some and I was blown away how good it was because it was so moreish with a garlicky taste without being too salty or sharp!

I could literally down a whole pint because it is that good!

Moving on to the mussel burger, it was served with some pickles which were a delight because their pickles are amazing.

The mussel burger patty was brilliant, it had lots of chopped mussels in it which you could taste as they have a spring texture.

Although it was a little salty I really liked it and there were some crispy bits in the patty which I couldn't work out what it was.

Revisited again for Midye dolma and had the set this time where I got a side portion of fried mussels.

The fried mussels were amazing and you can really taste how fresh they are.

Also tried the calamari which was disappointing because it was minced calamari reformed into rings.

The midye dolma was definitely worth coming back for because you have this really moreish spicy rice inside the mussels.

Overall, I would really recommend this place for the Midye dolma, mussel burger and pickled juice.

They also have Salgam (fermented carrot and turnip) which I will definitely try next time.

The Midyeci

505 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AU

https://midyeci.co.uk/pages/restaurant-menu

ZENB Project and supper club

Found out about the ZENB project as they were giving away pasta for lunch at Old Compton Street so I went along and grabbed a bowl.
Their pasta is made of yellow peas and the texture and everything is just the same as pasta.

I managed to try some on its own and you really couldn't tell but if you ate a sufficient amount then you start to get a yellow pea aftertaste but who eats that much plain pasta on its own.

The pasta I tried was cooked with tomato sauce so if it was a blind test you couldn't really tell but it is more wholesome because it is similar to wholewheat pasta.

In the evenings, they are hosting a wholesome, hands-on, plant-powered dining experience by Lauren Lovatt executed by Chef Clement where I was lucky to get my hands on a ticket.

I returned for the supper club and it was definitely an enlightening experience cooking with less waste and discovering some of the possibilities that using as much of the whole plant can offer.

After arriving, the dinner started off with chit chat and vegetable crisps which were made by a food dehydrator.

Although I have tried these before, the ones at Zen B were delicately flavourful and moreish.

Next were the Juice pulp crackers with kimchi cream, picked roots and leaves.

The Juice pulp which people throw away after juicing can actually be made into tasty crackers.

I was surprised how tasty they were as well as the lovely crisp and crumbly texture compared to the sold hard commercial crackers you get.

The kimchi cream was also made from the water that was used to pickle the roots so all the flavours and ingredients were not lost.

The main course was Broccoli and Bean Pasta e Fagioli with miso sourdough breadcrumbs and plant-based Parmesan.

The star of the show was the ZenB macaroni which was just like your regular macaroni in terms of texture and in terms of taste, it was the sauce that it was cooked in.

The dish as a whole was really delicious because I liked the wholesome starchy beans and everything was really tasty.

The plant based Parmesan was crispy and actually tasted cheesy which was made from air dried tahini.

Last but not least was the stunner dessert which was beetroot and bean truffles.

It was so sinfully decadent yet not guilty because it was totally vegan and I love the way the pulses give it that silky melt in your mouth texture just like truffles which were dusted in carob powder.

Throughout the night dinner was accompanied by a mixture of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

I chose the non alcoholic kombucha by Genie drinks and tried the fiery ginger and citrus.

Personally the fiery ginger was my favourite while the citrus was refreshing.

We were given all a box of ZENB pasta to take home:

https://zenb.co.uk/

Traditional afternoon tea for one at Tea and Tattle

Although I've had countless swanky afternoon teas, I do like traditional back to basics afternoon teas involving finger sandwiches, scones and modest plain Jane English cakes.
This led me to Tea and Tattle where they serve just that for £19 which includes a tea and lemonade.

It is a small tea room located inside a book store opposite The British Museum.

Inside the tea room, it is nice and cosy with a some carnations in a vase on each table.

Without further ado I had the tea set for one.

Strangely, I could hear the microwave in use a few times but what on earth for as there is nothing warm or hot to be served.

Anyway, my tea arrived first and then the food so the tea gets cold quickly.

For simplicity, they serve it without the strainer as it has already been strained.

It was the Earl Grey, but perhaps I had a bad batch because it was really different and peppery compared to other Earl Greys I have had.

Lemonade was the last to arrive or I would have taken a picture of it all together.

On the upper plate, I was served the following finger sandwiches:

Ham with Horseradish Mustard Mayonnaise and Tomato sandwich

Cream cheese, chives and cucumber

Tuna Mayonnaise cucumber

Egg mayonnaise and chives

On the lower plate was scones with strawberry black pepper jam/plum jam and carrot cake.

The sandwiches were nicely executed and tasted how it should and it was good that you could really taste the chives.

Moving on the scones, these were what captivated me because the way they are served is unique with a layer of clotted cream and the jam in the middle.

THERE WERE KNIVES & FORKS ON THE TABLE WHICH IS A NO NO.

YOU DON'T EAT SCONES WITH A KNIFE AND FORK WHICH I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL PEOPLE DO!

The scones were really good as expected while the cake just tasted like a supermarket cake.

Finishing off with the lemonade, I found it rather sweet yet it tasted like a sherbet lemon so it was quite comforting.

Overall, I would really recommended this especially the scones so I will probably come for scones another time with a different tea.

NOTE: This review is not affiliated or in anyway endorsed with Tea and Tattle but was self paid out of my pocket.

Tea and Tattle:

41 Great Russell St, London WC1B 3PE

Christmas menu at Subway - Tiger pig reviewed

For Christmas this year (2021), Subway has come out with a few festive items like the Tiger Pig, Brie Sub, Pigs in blanket pot and chocolate orange cookie.

Basically it is called a Tiger pig because of the bread.

Overall, there is nothing festive about it as they don't have any limited edition cranberry sauce or anything on those lines.

You get the same same salad and sauce choices so I had brown sauce with some spinach leaves because the rest of the ingredients don't really go well with it.

It was ok but I wouldn't say it was a top quality sausage that you want to finish the rest.