Christmas spiced duck leg at Tonkotsu

Tonkotsu is a famous ramen chain in London but has never been on my list to go until recently.
I was captivated by the duck leg which brought me there.
Overall, the noodles were similar to those lye noodles (alkaline noodles) and the broth was rather weak even though it was salty enough, it lacked a bone broth flavour.
The duck was quite nice but a bit dry, however I reckon if I dined there when they started serving this Christmas special, then it would have been soft and supple.
It was nice that the ramen was paired with my favourite Swiss chards and I felt that the sesame garnishing was to give it that Asian touch.

UYGHUR style Lamb Hoof Pachaq at Turpan

I am so glad I tried this place for the Lamb Hoof Pachaq.

Initially I thought it was the same as Xinjiang and Uzbek cuisine because of the menu but it turns out Uyghur food is similar.

Anyway, I didn't try the similar items so went for the Lamb hoof because you don't see it elsewhere and I haven't had lamb hoof even though i've had chicken feet, pigs trotters and cow trotters.

The dish was how I expected it to be.

It was soft and gelatinous with a nice heat and spice from the dried chillis and Sichuan peppercorns which makes it similar to Sichuan dry hot pot stir fry.

The menu states 5 pieces, you will find the trotter sliced in half vertically with some bone marrow in them but not much.

Also had it with rice which I thought was going to be plain but they put some sort of milk and butter in it which makes it quite heavy.

Overall the lamb hooves are recommended if you like soft and gelatinous pigs trotters.

It would be good if the hoof had the hair completely removed because I ended up wasting the skin because of it.

The dish also reminded me of these Gurkha pigs trotters KHUTTA KO ACHAAR which are also spicy.

Menu:

Turpan:

Pulled Lamb Shepherds pie at The Horniman At Hays

Just before Christmas I spotted this captivating Shepherd's pie which got my attention because there was a lamb shank bone in the middle so I made a mental note to try.

According to the menu, it is a HAND-PULLED LAMB SHANK SHEPHERD'S PIE with a rich minted gravy topped with herb mash.

Finally tried it on Boxing at The Horniman At Hays where we got a nice and quiet corner.

When, it came, the I had to "erect" the bone to make it look like the product shot as it was lying flat when it came.

The pulled lamb which was soft and tender took the Shepherds pie to the next level but needed a bit more flavour.

The rich minted gravy didn't quite taste minty nor was it rich.

Overall, I really enjoyed it, but some vinegary mint sauce was badly needed so I put loads of vinegar which made it really tasty.

Calarmari:

Calamari can be a hit or miss!

Luckily the calamari was still soft with a chew while the coating was crispy and not too salty despite looking a bit dark in colour.

It tasted nice with the lemon but the sauce was a bit too sweet.

Pictures at The Horniman At Hays

Pistachio and hazelnut filled brionut brioche buns at Comptoir bakery

Comptoir Gourmand is a small, family run company based in Bermondsey, I made a mental note to visit after walking past this cafe in 2020.

Although, I am not a fan of brioche, I went for the brionuts which came in two flavours hazelnut and pistachio filled with creme.

Both were well filled and there was so much filling that you have to be really careful when you are eating it.

To summarize, the hazelnut tasted better but visually the pistachio was a winner, again both were encased in this consistent soft brioche bun.

The butter in the brioche bun was not too overwhelming but the filling can get a bit sickly.

Pistachio brionut"

Hazelnut brionut noisette:

Other offerings at Comptoir Bakery:

Malaysian eatery Uncle Lim branches from Whitgift in East Croydon to South Croydon

Uncle Lim, a popular Malaysian eatery in East Croydon located on the upper floor of the Whitgift centre has opened another branch in South Croydon.

Since then, they have closed the shop at Whitgift and now permanently based in South Croydon.

Finally paid it a visit and tried the long awaited Hainan chicken which is only available at the weekends.

The hainan chicken was surprisingly good and very different to the Thai and Singaporean version.

It is quite basic with just chicken, a few slices and cucumber and rice.

I liked it because the soy sauce was thick and salty like marmite without the cloying sweetness of the Singaporean style sauce.

The chicken was tender, soft and fresh so overall it was very impressive.

The prawn mee was a bit disappointing as it lacked the richness of prawn as well as the red oils from the prawn head when you boil the prawns for the prawn broth.

For drinks, tried the AW Root beer which was seriously horrible because it tasted like those weird Chinese oil that people apply when they are dizzy.

Address:

47 S End, Croydon CR0 1BF

Eggless rainbow cake from Cake Forest in South Croydon

I have always wanted to get an eggless cake from Cake Forest since they open at South end but the choices they had before were a bit boring and the competition is fierce as there are an abundance of eggless cakes around.
Finally bought a cake for fun on Christmas day as it was a rainbow one.

Overall, it was a delight to eat as it was dreamy and pretty.

There are so many eggless cake options around so there is no excuse that they are not soft and fluffy which was delivered.

The only thing I did not like was the sweeteners or the sweetness which was too sweet for my liking as well as the waxy cream.

All the different layers tasted the same.

Other than that, it was really good.

103 South End, Croydon CR0 1BG

All day breakfast langos from Langos Royale

I've tried a few Langos stalls, so I thought I'd try this one for comparison.
In terms of price, it has to be the cheapest at 3.99 possibly because it was not in London.
Anyway, the toppings were slightly different and there were some modern choices like all day breakfast and sweet options.
I tried the classic which I thought was the tastiest.
The all day breakfast had egg which is a bit like a thin omelette and the colour of the egg looked strange as it was brownish.
Topped with bacon and spring onions.
Overall, the langos was nice but I felt that the langos was on the thin side like a thin crust pizza compared to the other stalls I have tried.
The guy at the stall spoke really good English and was quite handsome.