A visit to IKEA Hammersmith

IKEA has recently opened at Hammersmith Livat mall so I decided to give it a visit because there was an immersive, multi-sensory experience that allows you to enjoy a little taste of Sweden.

As a foodie how could I not get some food while I was there.

The food at this store is a little different in the sense that it is more sophisticated with open sandwiches and salads at the Deli.

The usual free tea is not available at the deli.

I feel that the Hammersmith branch is more upmarket to cater for the office crowd who would fancy a salad, wrap or sandwich for lunch with grab and go coffee.

It has been ages since I last had an open sandwich by the Swedish Mackish girls so I got myself the seafood open sandwich which was topped with chopped prawns, crab meat mixed with mayo, creme fraiche, tabasco and dill topped with lumpfish caviar topped with fresh dill.

A bit pricey but it was really good because you can really taste the crab meat and the sea and then you have the delightful lumpfish caviar.

I suspect the red caviar is the one that they sell made of seaweed and dill.

Overall, I am glad I tried because where else can you get these Swedish style open sandwiches.

Again, same story, Hammersmith has totally been revamped with new concept stores etc.

Video on youtube:

https://youtu.be/Zu2c1XnLm48

The expensive and long journey for David Beckham's favourite pie mash in Waltham Abbey

The long expensive journey for David Beckham's favourite pie and mash in Waltham Abbey.

Not bend it like Beckham but eat it like Beckham!!!

Like I said I am trying to eat my way through every pie & mash shop in the UK whether they are good or bad.

I knew I was going to like the one in Waltham Abbey from the photos I have seen as I judge it by the clarity and colour of the liquor and the pie filling.

Both the pie and liquor looked amazing which was to my liking and it turns out to be David Beckhams regular go to place as well.

Tony's Pie & Mash is probably the furthest I have travelled for a pie mash.

The journey had to be made because the travel fares are going up by the end of this month.

I thought I was going to get away with the pay as you go because Waltham Cross is in zone 7 but it turns out the buses are not London buses so my bus journey cost as much as my meal there!!!

Overall, the trip for the pie mash was totally worth it because the minced beef in the pie was really good and flavourful in that really nice rich beefy sauce.

The liquor was just how I liked it because it is made with eel and it has a nice clarity with a leafy green colour.

Along with that, lashings and lashings of vinegar and white pepper are a must to make it heavenly.

While I was there, I met a guy who also likes to try every pie & mash shop in UK and its good to know that he likes Maureen's as much as I do.

I was actually blown away by this visit because I feel that if you like Maureens, you will also like Tony's so I think Beckham would like Maureen's as well if he got a chance to visit. 

The food is annoyingly good at Tony's so I am tempted to visit again!

The buses out of town are not that frequent so I was really lucky the bus driver let me get on after he just pulled off.

Video on youtube:

https://youtu.be/BzUJXNmBly0

Authentic Langos in Stratford

My friend is Hungarian so her mum would serve all sorts of Hungarian delights when I went round her house.

I had strong memories of this crispy bread with fresh garlic and sour cream as well as delicious rice with peas and cheese.

Recently, I saw an article about Hungarian Langos which reminded me of her cooking so I decided to venture out for some Langos which lead me to Stratford.

The booth at Stratford serves a few options for Langos so I went for the traditional which comes with garlic, sour cream and cheese.

Minus the cheese, it tasted exactly the same as the one my friend's mum made so it was really comforting.

I loved the crispy soft dough with the garlic and sour cream.

The cheese makes it extra tasty like a pizza.

You can think of it like a savoury doughnut or a Chinese crueller.

As well as the default choices, you can also choose 4 toppings so on my next visit I will choose garlic, sour cream and mushrooms and onions which makes a Hungarian style pizza!

They also do Chimney cakes which tastes like a combination of croissant, doughnut and churros which I plan to try as well but they are monstrous in size.

Thukpa at Urban Yak

It has been so many years since I had Thukpa as not many restaurants serve it.

I love Thukpa because the broth is strong and punchy.

Thupka is a Tibetian soup noodle which is really flavourful.

In London, there are more options for Thukpa so I narrowed it down to Urban Yan because their menu was clearly laid out and I liked their modern approach with pictures.

When I saw a photo of the Thukpa, I knew this was the place.

Urban Yak is located really close to Brockley station which is handy.

On the menu, you can get it vegetarian or have it with chicken, pork, mutton or seafood so I chose mutton.

When the noodles came, they looked exactly how I saw it on social media minus the piece of lemon.

Tasting a sip of the broth, I loved the heat and tanginess from the lemon.

The noodles were a bit different to the place I had it but they will were still good, you will find they are the same ones used in Chinese takeaways which are the chunky ones.

I found them a bit slippery on chopsticks but overall these noodles are really worth trying because it is loaded with vegetables and the broth is really moreish.

The mutton was a let down as it was dry, dark and chewy just like jerky but they were really kind to waive 50p to offset the mutton.

Visited again and had the chicken noodles, they were tasty as well but there were too much vegetables in it which was annoying so Thukpa is still my favourite to recommend at this restaurant.

No 79 mousse & coffee brought to you by hefaure

More cuteness from hefaure.

Cute rabbits, dogs and rose mousses all coming from the same mold.

If you can't travel to Asia, then you can now get them in London.

Desserts I have tried in Asia.

Rabbit from McCafe and the rose.

Dog from some restaurant.