Batchelors Limited Edition Pigs in Blankets

It's Christmas soon and everything is pigs in blankets.
Obviously with pigs and blankets it would be sausages and bacon.
Batchelors already have bacon noodles so I would expect the pigs in blankets to taste similar or have something added.
The limited edition noodles definitely did have a strong smokey bacon smell and a corresponding taste.
On top on that, you can taste some thyme but luckily it was not too strong.
There was supposed to be some dried pieces of sweetcorn and mushroom, but I couldn't find any.
Overall, I am biased, so I liked it and if you like the bacon noodles by Batchelors, then you are going to like this.

Fresh dumplings from Baxfood Caribbean

On my first visit to BAXFOOD Caribbean I was captivated by the filled dumplings.
You can choose Jerk meat or tofu mushroom so I got the tofu mushroom as not many places offer that.
Basically it was like a savoury donut sliced in half and filled with Jerk.
It was really tasty with the tofu puffs and mushrooms but I found it quite spicy.

I managed to get to sample their festival and oxtail with butterbeans which were so delicious.

Somehow I had a craving for their dumplings so went back.

Most dumplings that you see are already fried and sitting there until you buy them.

I was really surprised that the dumplings are fried to order at Baxfood.

Having them straight from the fryer tastes very different.

They are soft when they are hot and as they cool down they have a chew to them, this time I had it a non Jamaican way with melted Camembert and it was so good.

The dumplings on their own taste savoury and there is a unique taste that I cannot describe but it was nice.

Baxfood Caribbean

1 Whytecliffe Rd S, Purley CR8 2AY

It was really tasty with the tofu puffs and mushrooms but I found it quite spicy.

Pandan frappe from Panadera Bakery

There are so many pandan desserts but not much options on drinks so when I found out that Panadera had a pandan frappe I had to try it.
Overall, it was a really nice drink but the only thing I didn't like was the syrupy buko (young coconut) at the bottom.
It would be nice if they had some huge sago pearls to replace the buko.
Price paid: 5.20

A touch of Laos in London

I have had my fair share of soup noodles and salads by Celebrity and model Laotian Chef Justin but Pad Mee Lao was new to me hence the visit to Lao Cafe in London.
Laotian noodles are described as intensely sweet and salty.
The flavours were interesting and for me it was love and hate at the same time.
They are moreish and delicious because they literally taste like rice noodles tossed in undiluted bovril complimented by the aromatic caramelized onions but then you have this annoying intense sweetness to follow.
Somehow, that intense taste like bovril keeps you going and then the sweetness tells you to stop!!
I found the noodles a bit too al dente for my liking but you get used to it.

The pork in the noodles was some sort of roast pork belly or pork neck with crispy bits.
You can choose from a choice of pork, vegetables or prawn but strangely beef is not offered.
There are meant to be beansprouts / bean shoots and carrots but I opted without because I don't like them.

For the adventurous, why not add ant eggs to your Laotian Curry.

The Laotian curry was the star of the show because I love the strong dill and Thai basil along with the mixed mushroom medley like wood ear fungas.

The ant eggs were interesting, not my cup of tea but I tried.

You could see some of the developed ants which looked like wasps but it turns out that they use the weaver ant species.

Unfortunately, I visited this restaurant again a year later and the noodles have gone downhill, there was no longer this love/hate sensation and it tasted just like those noodles you get from the Chinese Restaurants.

60 Chandos Pl, London WC2N 4HG

Heinz black garlic mayo

 I love coloured foods especially when it is something unsual like black, purple blue etc.

Heinz have launched a limited black garlic mayo for halloween which comes in three designs: purple, white and orange.

It was hard deciding between the white and purple but in the end I got the purple.

The black garlic mayo is made from black garlic which makes it special.

For those that have not come accross black garlic, it is a black from the fermentation process but if you look closely it is not truly black but a dark brown colour.

The texture of it is soft, mushy and tastes sweet, there is a twinge of sourness and there was an interesting feeling on the mouth because of the pH levels. 

Similar to roasted garlic, there is still a garlic odour and smell.

Tasting the sauce on its own, I felt that there was not much real black garlic as it wasn't that sweet and punchy but you still have a creamy garlic taste to it with a fine gritty grainy texture.
I decided to pair it with some purple potatoes like you do and it was really tasty.

It was also good on pizza, hotdog and fries.

M&S Plant Kitchen chewy cherry bakewell cookies

As soon as these Plant Kitchen chewy cherry bakewell cookies by Marks came out I had to get them.
I love any cookies that are chewy and these are made with oats, almonds and cherries.

There was a lovely cherry bakewell aroma when I opened the packet.

Visually there was not much cherries compared to the product shot but the cherry bakewell taste was definitely there and the chewy texture was amazing.

You even get a cherry bakewell taste lingering for a while.

Although they are quite sweet, they are not as heavy as the regular cookies.

Overall a must try and hope they stay permanently on the shelves!

Maries cafe, Lower Marsh - East meets West with Thai and English both served

There are so many good eateries at Lower Marsh and this is one of them along with many new fresh spots coming along.

Marie's cafe has seen it all, from the outside it would appear as a cafe which it is but when you go inside you will find that they serve Thai food as well as English fare.

I dined there just for that reason, I had the usual breakfast fix, some dim sum and a Thai dessert with an English twist.

However the chips were over done in my opinion and the dim sum was a bit too sweet.

The Glutinous rice with English custard was surprisingly delicious.