Fries from Poptata, Croydon

Poptata was just another fries shop I thought until today when I saw them freshly cut the fries from the potatoes with skin.

I asked if they were made to order and the guy said yes but sadly they were not, I was served the fries which were left over from the previously order hence they were barely hot and not the freshly fried ones.

I am so glad, I did not waste money on extras like cheese which would not have melted.

The basic fries were not quite plain because they were tossed with Rosemary which was not something I was expecting and there was a fair bit of salt in it too.

The rosemary was so strong, I could not taste the parsley flakes but then it was probably for garnishing.

Overall, I felt that I did not experience their fries at their best which I believe would have been really nice.

Strawberry cream croissant from donutelier

I just had to get the new Strawberry Cream croissant because of all that cream!
It tasted like fresh and fluffy cream which was a bonus and then you have strawberry slices and jam in the middle.
The only complaint was that part of the base had not risen completely but anyway still worth trying as it was quite satisfying.

M&S Cafe: Our Best Ever prawn cocktail & smoked salmon jacket with rainbow slaw

I love jacket potatoes so when I saw the "Our Best Ever prawn cocktail & smoked salmon jacket with rainbow slaw" on the menu I had to order it.

It was like two wishes in one: salmon and prawn cocktail.

Sadly, it is not on the menu now as they have changed it.

I liked the way, the salmon and prawn cocktail is all over that you can't see the jacket garnished with all that generous coriander.

Different branches serve it differently because the one my friend has didn't have coriander but had some extra rocket on the side.

Revolution Pizza Vending machine experience in South Croydon

About a month ago I spotted this pizza vending machine at the petrol station so I have been meaning to try it.

As well as pizza vending machines you can get French Fries vending machines which I tried a while ago at some food event.

In UK, there are currently two brands of Pizza Vending machines which are Revolution Pizza located mostly in London and Pizza Rebellion in the South Coast.

Finally, made it one night to try it out.

There are only two choices of pizza, the margherita (£10) or the Pepperoni (£11) where you can choose to have it HOT or COLD and up to 4 pizzas can be ordered at once.

The margherita was sold out so got the Pepperoni.

There is a timer that counts down from 4 minutes and when the time is up the pizza will slide out from the flap!

I thought it was going to be a 100% cardboard box but it looked like an LP record with a round silver foil tray in the middle.

You get a wooden knife with it and the foil tray is actually very handy as it becomes a plate.

Moving on the the taste, I was really surprised but then all I can say it is to my liking because it was not greasy and the pizza base was soft and pillowy like bread.

The cheese also impressed me because it was more liked cheddar even though the ingredients say Mozzarella.

The pepperoni slices were HUGE but sadly a bit too salty for my taste buds but the tomato sauce was punchy and overall the pizza was delicious.

If you like chewy pizza bases or crispy pizza bases then this is not for you.

After this experience, I will have to make my way down the south coast to try Pizza Rebellion, another brand of Pizzas from the vending machine because their pizzas are unique like the beef rib & pickle as well as Mad-Doner.

Revolution Pizza locations:
SGN brighton Road: 306 Brighton Road, South Croydon, London, CR2 6AJ
SGN Hanwell: 6 Church Road, Hanwell, London, W7 1DR
SGN Lakedale: 190 Plumstead high Street, Plumstead, London, SE18 1JH
SGN Angel: 257 City Road, Angel Islington. London, EC1V 1JQ

Pizza Rebellion

https://pizzarebellion.co.uk/

MAD-DONER

Mad…Doner… this is our favourite pizza. Once you’ve tasted this you’ll agree! Think 1980’s Madonna, sassy, sexy, spicy, tasty, juicy and totally rebellious. Pulled, slow cooked lamb, Dukkah, Zhoug, Feta and oodles of flavour. £10.95

BBQ BEEF RIB & PICKLE

Slow, slow, slow cooked pulled beef rib, House BBQ sauce, Red Leicester, Pickles, more mozzarella and tomato sauce make this a flavour laden monster £10.95

Mediterranean breakfast at AYAT

At the beginning of this year, I spotted some delectable breakfasts at AYAT but the serving hours were from 8am to 1pm which is impossible and at their loss.

Anyway, I happened to be around that area around 11am so I thought I'd pay them a visit but I wasn't sure to be happy or sad because they now serve breakfast until 4pm so we could have delayed our visit and went elsewhere to try something.

Similarly with the fish bar opposite, they've had change the menu to adapt which you could clearly see it coming.

As planned had the AYAT special breakfast which comes with foul mudamass, halloumi, eggs, baba ganoush, falafel, hummus, fruit, flatbread and olives.

For £9.99, it was really good for that Mediterranean style breakfast especially the foul mudamass which was a really tasty stew of fava beans with cumin, parsley and lemon!

Koli South Croydon: New smash burger and piri piri joint

Another burger joint has popped up in South Croydon called Koli so I had to give it a try.

They specialize in smash burgers and piri piri chicken.

Smash burgers are basically patties that are flattened or smashed by they are being grilled which gives it that lovely crispy edge.

As they have just opened so still in teething stages with the branding, packaging to food.

I got the cheese burger which was quite affordable at 3.99.

You have that lovely crispy edge and you can taste the beef which is not gamey.

The burger box is a bit too small for it though but I am sure they will get bigger boxes to accomodate.

Was hoping to try the lemon and herb chicken because they said the sauce comes from Africa but not available due to unstable supply issues so I will be back.

Koli: 123 S End, Croydon CR0 1BJ

Capelletti in Brodo and Chicken escalope at Scotti's Snack Bar, Clerkenwell - Farringdon

I have always wanted to visit this old school cafe in Clerkenwell but didn't realize it was close to Farringdon station until a recent visit to Exmouth Market which is further up from this place.
First of all, this is a must go place because of the fixtures and that vintage feeling, however I felt quite odd walking in as it was lunch and 90% of the crowd was using laptops while dining there.

It was like a confusion of the past and the future at the same time.

There is NO MENU at all but they do roast chicken and beef as well as soup which was what I went there for.

I was really looking forward to the Cappelletti in Brodo which I haven't even seen at the Italian restaurants I have dined so far.

It is basically cappelletti in a chicken and beef broth made from the chicken and beef bones from the roast meats.

The broth is simply comforting like Jewish Matzoh soup, a light consommé of soup with a strong chicken taste and then you have these delicious cappelletti filled with finely grounded meat inside.

They were so delicious with the black pepper, parmesan and chopped parsley.

It was served with a lovely crusty bread smothered in proper salted butter by Lakeland.

Although a light lunch, it was really satisfying and worth travelling here for it.

The owners are really friendly and hide no secrets about the food and ingredients.

On the corner, there is a beautiful working vintage toaster which they still use.

A year later, I returned for the chicken escalope which was just as amazing, I knew I had to have it when I saw a fresh batch of escalope.

The escalope sandwich was amazing with simple onions, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato.

I also had a doughnut which was supplied by a local bakery as they looked good.

The doughnut was not bad as it was not oily and well filled with blackcurrant jam.