XXL Hazelnut cookie and hazelnut flan from Cedric Grolet

A while over during the festive period I shared this expensive £25 XXL hazelnut cookie with someone from Cedric Grolet.

It was a really nice cookie but not knowing more about Cedric Grolet it was hard to review it properly but from pictures they do these fine fruit shaped cakes with fillings.

From just tasting the cookie, I loved the way it was topped generous whole hazelnuts which were caramelized and it was not too cloyingly sweet with a kick of saltiness.

The cookie was far too big to finish in one go so I had to over a few days.

It was really nice warmed as the texture was soft and gooey and it was amazing with some clotted cream.

The cookie had a nice dough sugar ratio so it was not too sugary to eat with a full on hazelnut flavour.

Recently, made a trip to Cedric Grolet to see for myself, it is located at The Berkeley hotel, Knightsbridge.

I was greeted with a clean modern open kitchen where you can see the ovens and kitchen staff and then you have the pastries at the counter and the artisan cakes at the entrance.

Looking at the range, it was a bit limited for takeaway and prices start from £6 a croissant to £25 for a cookie!!

Visually, the choice was a bit difficult because you are either choosing between the artisan cakes at £17 or the pastries which is just a choice of croissant, pain au chocolat, pain suisse or the hazelnut flan.

Ended getting the hazelnut flan because the croissant and pains were just a bit plain.

I didn't have any expectations for the hazelnut flan because it just looked like a bigger than average Portuguese tart.

Taking a bite, I wasn't impressed but it turns out I had to take a bigger bite where I got a lovely surprise.

It was actually a really enjoyable flan with a flaky pastry base and then in the middle you have this hazelnut eggy filling with an intense hazelnut layer at the bottom which is like a puree

The best thing, it was not too sweet or sickly and the pastry was not overwhelmed with grease or butter.

Overall a bit pricey but it pays off as I haven't seen this hazelnut flan anywhere else.

Would love to try the artisan cakes but I feel that it should be enjoyed dining there or somewhere nice.

Berlin Strasse from Gdk - German Doner Kebab

To be honest, I got a doner craving again Thanks to the free doner at Doner Shack which I was too lazy to go despite having a whole week to redeem it.

I satisfied my doner craving at GDK mainly because their beef doners are really tasty and I haven't eaten there for a year at least.

This time I went for the Berlin Strasse which is doner meats, fries, onions and tomatoes wrapped in a lahmacun (turkish flatbread topped with minced beef, spices, lemon juice and parsley.

When I got my order, I couldn't help unwrapping it to see the lahmacun with minced beef and all that.

Taking a bite, the Berlin Strasse was seriously satisfying, I loved the texture of the wrap which is similar to the English pancake but slightly firmer with a chew yet still soft.

The minced beef with lemon juice and parsley on the wrap definitely took it to the next level with all the flavours and then you have the star of the show, the beef doner meat which is tasty without being too salty.

The best thing is that their beef doner meat is not gritty like some other places.

Last but not least, the onions always make it complete however the tomatoes they had that day were rather starchy so it did not add much in terms of flavour nor did it make it soggy.

Overall, I would really recommend the Berlin Strasse and in particular their beef doner meats.

New itsu miso caramel and chocolate buns

New restaurant: Infusion Village in Purley

Spotted this new restaurant in Purley so as a foodie had to pay it a visit.

As the name suggests, they serve fusion dishes which are a English with an Indian twist.

All the dishes are halal and they have English Breakfast with turkey bacon etc as well as jacket potatoes with keema and cheese.

Since I have already had halal breakfast elsewhere, I opted for the jacket potato with keema and cheese.

However I was a bit disappointed that the keema was dry and not like bolognese or chilli con carne.

Overall, I think they are still in teething stages so the menu will get changed and popular items will stay.

Stargazy pie at The Barley Mow by Cubitt House

It's National pie week so I am truly excited because pies get justice.

There's East London style served with mash and liquor or just pie with mash and gravy.

I've have been meaning to try the Stargazy pie which is rare these days.

A Stargazy pie is made with sardines, eggs and potatoes with sardine heads poking out the top edges of the pie as if they were gazing at stars.

What brought me to the Cubitt House chain was their Stargazy pie launched for pie week which I feel uncomfortable addressing as a Stargazy pie because the ingredients are different.

I suppose it makes sense for Cubitt House to use langoustines as this is one of their offerings on the menu.

But anyway, I still had to try it even though it is filled with chicken and Dublin prawn for the sake of it.

I was definitely the first person to order this as they staff were literally just given briefings about it.

£25 is a bit expensive but it delivered, the pie, mash and gravy were all good but just not the name.

Starting from the garlic mash, it was green with finely chopped grassy green spring onions and it was tasty and well balanced in terms of flavour, garlic and butter whilst having a potato taste.

Next the star of the show, the pie, although the pastry was quite thick and heavy, the chicken and Dublin Bay prawn were good and the pastry was crisp and soft on the inside and somehow it felt like there was some suet in it.

Even though, the pastry was quite thick for a small pie, there was quite a lot of chunky chicken and what you would expect from a langoustine so not much cavity in the pie.

The chicken filling was flavourful and it didn't really need the gravy but having the gravy took it to another level as it tasted like a lobster bisque gravy with some alcohol.

So overall, although it was pricey, all the elements didn't let you down.

As well as the fantastic pie, their restaurant menu upstairs is also worth checking out with lamb crumpets with anchovy mayo, pie mash with parsley sauce, deep fried oysters etc.

I also spotted some white strawberries which happened to be pickled and served with cheese.

The staff really made my day and let me try one.

The pickled strawberry taste was quite different to how I imagined it to be, it was not that sharp but sweet and sour like pickled plum.

Lush doughnuts at Donutelier by Roladin

Finally got my hands on these doughnuts from donutelier.
On my first visit, I could not make up my mind, on the second visit one of the doughnuts I wanted were sold out.
Managed to get what I wanted today!
Donutelier by Roladin specializes in these fancy doughnuts and they work!
I think what makes these good doughnuts are the doughnut base which you will find quite different to other doughnuts.
The texture is firm with a chew like an iced bun base but with some softness which goes really well with the fillings and toppings.
For simplicity I had the vanilla pecan which has icing on top and beautiful smooth cream. Inside there was silky dreamy custard.
As for the blackforest, I preferred it chilled as it was not too sweet.
Somehow, I felt that it should be garnished with a cherry and not a raspberry.
It was good how every part of the doughnut was flawless, from the doughnut base, filling, fruit/nuts to the amazing cream because some creams can be waxy or synthetic.
Last but not least, you won't be getting a greasy/oily donut!
Well done Donutelier.
I felt that my 6 quid was more well spent that something that was 4 quid that was not nice!
Definitely a treat to try!

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New Brunch options at M&S Cafe; eggs benedict/royale/shakshuka

On a recent visit to M&S Cafe, I was really pleased to see the new brunch options.

When all these years, many cafes having been serving eggs benedict and eggs royale, M&S Cafe have really missed the bandwagon.

Although, they are late in the game, nothing beats M&S quality especially when it comes to M&S muffins, salmon and ham etc.

The prices are affordable so I would rather eat here than because of the quality and taste.

The eggs royale was simply delicious especially that quality salmon which takes it to the next level even though I am already bored of eggs royale from having too much at other cafes.

Similarly, the Benny & Eggs were just as good depending if you are in the mood for ham.

They are also in the game with the trending Shakshuka which I found a bit acidic for brunch because of the tomato sauce!!!

As well as brunch, they also have the salmon roll which is not bad but it is a little messy to eat because the roll is rather crumbly in texture.

Scottish salmon and egg roll:

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