Khinkali (Georgian Dumplings) at the Canopy Market by Georgian Cuisine Ltd (khinkali House)

My geography is bad so I've never heard of a country called Georgia until today when I tried a Georgian dumpling called Khinkali.

Visually it looks like a Xiaolongbao but bigger like a garlic bulb and a thick stalk.

The fillings are either beef, mushrooms or cheese so I tried cheese to compare it to a Nepalese momo dumpling which look visually similar but the Nepalese one is smaller and can be steamed or fried.

The cheese used in the Khinkali was a blend so I found it a bit too heavy and creamy but had a nice cheese pull.

100% Cheddar would have been nice but that's my English palate.

Overall, I am glad I tried.

This calls for a visit to Little Georgia, Islington.

@canopy_market

Exploring Polish Cuisine at Mamuska

I love trying different cuisines but often there is a language barrier as well as menus that are not in English.

Came across Mamuska in Waterloo which is a Polish restaurant that is worth trying to discover Polish food.
The restaurant is located under a train arch and it was nicely decorated with bits and bobs that make it look Polish like the letterbox, road signs etc.
Although I have not visited Poland before, I felt that the menu was a good representation based on my findings at the local Polish supermarket.
The menu and layout was good as it was descriptive with a personal touch laid out with pictures like a big establishment.
They offer English food as well so it shows they know the food here as well as theirs.
I liked the way they have given their dishes a Christmas twist like the dumplings filled with turkey and gravy even though turkey is not traditionally eaten in Poland.
Just for fun, I ordered that.
The dumplings were surprisingly nice with finely grounded turkey meat complemented by the gravy and cranberry sauce.
The only thing I didn't like were the sunflower seeds which are a popular thing in Poland.
I plan to return but it takes a long time for food to arrive even when they were not busy.
#ssglondoneats

Raya Sayang review. (Singmalay UK)

Another Malay restaurant with an interesting queue of people.
It was quite hard choosing from the menu.
Would have chosen the laksa but while I was waiting outside, I could see they were fat noodles which I don't like as they don't hang the soup well.
Tried the 7 treasure veg which is more like a Chinese dish.
It was really good except for the beancurd which was hard and chewy.
For drinks, had the fig delight with peanuts and coconut which tasted amazing.

Satay House review ( singmalay UK)

Another Malay restaurant which is near Paddington.
A bit off the radar but another one for the singmalay series.
The menu was quite good because it was hard to decide as it was skewered toward Indonesian dishes.
Had the mee sayur stir fried noodles which was an unusual combo with tomatoes and tofu.
It was quite nice especially the tofu but overall a bit salty but typically what you get for Asian food.
The Mee sup was the usual Asian/Chinese soup noodles in my point of view. Tasteless.
Finished with the Ais kacang which is ice and the red beans look like cockroach eggs.

Gingerbread and Nutella doughnut from Dum Dum Donutterie

Delicious buttercream filled gingerbread doughnut.
It had a bready mouthfeel and was non oily which made sense when I found out it was baked and not fried.
Overall, it was really decadent and not too sweet.
The buttercream was the star of the show.

Ended getting another doughnut again and it wasn't fluke it was good.

Again the buttercream was the star of the show.

The donuts were not labelled at the stall but was later told this was a nutella donut but failed to taste any nutella.

Overall delicious and not too sweet.

The texture was more like a cronut.

McDonalds big cheesy

McDonalds big & cheesy, a 100% beef patty, double cheese, red onions, crispy onions, fresh lettuce, and creamy cheese sauce in a toasted snowflake flour-dusted bun.
Tried this burger twice without lettuce and cheese slices because I wanted to appreciate the cheese sauce.
It was really nice but inconsistent at two different stores.
The good one was soft , flavourful and piping hot but came in the wrong box.
The dry and cold one came in a festive box with a Chinese auspicious 88 number lol.

Delicious duck from The Duck Shed London

Named The Duck Shed, they obviously specialize in duck.

You will find them here and there when they have a stall in London.

I believe I saw them outside Kings Cross station and various other places but ended up trying them at Kingdom of Winter at Excel.

Duck is so versatile and tastes good in general.
There are three choices: English, French and Vietnamese in the form of salad, burger or wrap.
Clearly the English and French were my choice.
I felt that the wrap held it better.
For the French, it was all good but lacked raclette cheese so the chutney and cornichons stole the show.
As for the duck it was just like confit/aromatic duck quality.