Taramasalata and Lamb Shank at EGE Turkish restaurant in Purley

Went here randomly for a light meal because they had Taramasalata which is blended creamy fish roe served with bread.

The Taramasalata was really silky but it tasted very different to the supermarket ones which are salty, fishy and smoky.

The one at EGE tasted more tangy and the bread that came with it was hot and fluffy so overall it was quite nice.

Revisited this place for the lamb shank which was how it should be so there were no surprises.

It tasted like an English casserole, then meat came off the bone and it was probably those ready catering supplies of sous vide meats you can buy for convenience.

Fine Brazilian fare at Las Iguanas

Las Iguanas is a chain that serves Latin American fare.
Dined there for the Xinxim Brazilian curry and Buenos Aires Burger with chimmichurri.
Although, the chicken was dry and hard and there were only two pieces of overcooked crayfish to be found.
The xinxim sauce was banging, it was a bit like korma and satay sauce but with a refreshing kick of lime.
The plantains were sold out hence not pictured.
All mocktails and cocktails are buy one get one free all the time so had the spiced oat milkshake which is just like horchata.
This is my third time having Brazilian/Latin American food but Las iguanas is quite different as it is a chain compared to the smaller restaurants hence they have proper English menus and the flavour profiles would be more suited to the general palate.
The independent ones are more rustic and have that home cooked taste to it.

Ube custard young coconut pie from Kapihan, Battersea

I went to Kapihan only for one thing and it was the flaky sumptuous ube custard young coconut pie.

Basically, it is a buko pie taken to the next level!

A buko pie is basically a pie filled with young coconut slices and this is the same but with extra ube custard which makes it even more delicious.

The pastry also did magic because it is light and flaky unlike the buko pie I had which came in a shortcrust pastry.

If you haven't tried young coconut before, the texture is like mango.

Overall, definitely recommended because it was not too sweet or sickly that one can indulge to themselves!

To summarize, the staff were super friendly and offered to warm up the pie which makes it even more delicious.

Would love to see them do a pandan custard version as well because I love pandan.

Also had the refreshing matcha float but it could have been fizzier but it was not too sweet.

Wakame seaweed themed lunch at Wasabi

Randomly went to Wasabi to have a look because I have not visited for ages and spotted this new kaiso seaweed potto salad so decided to try it.

Also had some noodles and seaweed tempura crisps to go with it.

I love wakame for its salty marine flavours, however I wasn't that keen on this salad because of the rice vinegar which gives it that sweet taste and makes it more fishy like fresh seaweed from the beach.

The noodles were just the usual with some Chinese cabbage which was quite salty.

Finished with the seaweed tempura crisps which I have always want to try but held back because of the price.

They are not that expensive compared to other things I try but expensive when its not your cup of tea.

Firstly, I didn't expect them to be spicy and I found them a bit salty as well as a little sweet which annoyed again like Asian savoury snacks.

Double chocolate pie now available at McDonalds for a limited period of time

Finally Mcdonalds, UK has this new double chocolate pie.

In other countries, there are so many pie variants to be tried.

The double chocolate pie consists of a chocolate pastry and rich chocolate ganache filling.

It was well filled and much better than the Asian one in Hong Kong.

The filling was rich thick chocolate which can get a bit too sweet but at the same time moreish.

The European Pizza & Pasta Show 2023, Jun 21st and 22nd at Olympia

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.

@mr.broko.agricola

Primark Cafe with Disney at Lakeside Shopping Centre serving Mickey Mouse Waffles

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.

@primark @haywoodandpadgett @lakeside