It was great to attend another trade show, this time it was the EPPS 2023 (European Pizza & Pasta Show 2023) which is aimed at sellers and buyers in the European Pizza and Pasta Industries. The show provides a much-needed opportunity for this £4 billion UK industry to get together with opportunities for renewing contacts and networking.
The highlights at the Pizza Pasta show were: the delicious grilled artichokes by @caprichosdelpaladar
Salted pistachio gelato which was just like eating pistachio.
I enjoyed it more salted because I feel that pistachio is naturally savoury so it tastes weird but nice in a sweet ice cream. @sicilian.pride.ltd
Last but not least was the Gazpacho Broccoli.
I love gazpacho and broccoli makes it wholesome and healthy.
To be honest, the tomato taste was quite prominent followed by lemon but it makes sense to have tomato because gazpacho is often tomato based but it its interesting how they colour of this soup is still green.
I was really excited to discover a Primark Cafe with Disney at Lakeside Shopping Centre because it was something different.
You are greeted with a Mickey Mouse silhouette entrance and theme.
At the cafe, the menu offers a good range but most of it was not available.
The only Disney themed item was the waffle with toppings of your choice.
The display waffle looks promising (the one with chocolate chips) but in reality I felt that the execution could have been better.
I understand that Lakeside isn't as big as Birmingham because they use disposable plates but plates do not matter in presentation if you get it right.
The cream literally covered Mickey's ears and face that it defeated the purpose of being a Mickey shaped waffle!
The cream could have been put on the side maybe?
Other than that, it was a freshly made to order waffle so it was fresh and tasty.
As for the others items on the menu, it was a bit disappointing, listed were a Selection of traybakes and cakes as well as Danish Pastries (PLURAL) but there was only one of each item to choose from and no traybakes at all.
The cream tea was a bit bizarre as you get TWO scones and ONE hot drink, however they seem to be Haywood Padgett scones which is good.
Hope this is here to stay because I have seen so many Rainbow toasties come and go!
They have done all the magic and hard work that every rainbow toastie comes out with the perfect rainbow pull!
It was a really comforting cheese toast because they have used a good toast that holds it together and a blend of cheeses that give it a good pull as well as that lovely cheddar taste.
Overall, it was flawless as the visual, experience and taste delivered.
Pancake Art Cafe is located in the hipster part of Camden, you are greeted with a holographic area where they prepare the food and there is a side where you can sit down and enjoy the food.
It is founded by To home from London, where they do Design-led souvenirs which you may have seen at Christmas by the river in London as well as their pancakes.
As well as Pancake Art Cafe, you could also get rainbow toasties from grill my cheese, also in Melbourne which are Korean style and there used to be one in Hong Kong but again there is nothing like home that beats a proper toastie with proper cheese.
Thank you for having us @pancakeart.cafe @tohomefromlondon
Just for fun, I got the Limited edition Subway strawberries and cream cookie It was the usual subway cookie texture but I found the strawberry chunks artificial tasting. Would have enjoyed strawberry jam instead of those strawberry chunks. @subway_ukireland #subwaycookies #ssgsubway #ssgcookies
THIS HAS DEFINITELY BROKEN MY RECORDS BEING THE MOST EXPENSIVE DOUGHNUT I EVER PAID FOR AT £9!!! I just had to get it because at a glance I saw cherry and custard The one outside was for display and they had more inside. As a foodie, I examine my food eg the fillings etc. I was amused to see the bottom of the doughnut had been sliced off probably to make it stand up in the box???? Overall, there were no complaints, the taste was good, it was not too sweet or oily. While I was eating, I couldn't help notice this gritty texture in the cream, it turns out that it was Mahleb custard which makes sense. Mahleb is a spice made from Prunus mahaleb cherry stones which are cracked for the seed kernel. It also explains, why the cherries in the filling were so different, the mouthfeel of these cherries was like grape skin. For takeaway, I was well equipped with napkins and utensils without me requesting.
So a new hot dog place opened in Croydon hence I had to give them a go. On the menu, you can go for classic or global. It was really nice that they let me customize the hot dogs. I started off with some basic dogs with some of their special sauces like chimmichurri mayo, piri piri. Then I also had a Classic to appreciate simplicity. To summarize, I really like their dogs because they are tasty and the classics are the best especially with sauerkraut, mustard and ketchup. The chimmichurry mayo was a bit too creamy for my liking, I was expecting the sauce to be green like pesto consistency. The piri piri glaze turned out to be another good one but the piri mayo wasn't needed because it was too creamy. Last but not least the bun, it was nice and soft but I prefer the basic white ones because I find brioche too sweet.