Costa Heinz beanz & Cheese toastie

Nothing can go wrong with beans and cheese!

HFC, Whitechapel

Another place for the shatkora kebab.

Priced 7.95 when it used to be a fiver.

Portland Cafe, Norwood Junction

Another caff but the food was on the heavy side.

Monsoon Cafe, Greenwich

Just had cream tea with a blue Luna latte flavoured with maple and honey.
The offerings were a bit basic and not memorable but because it is located in a touristy area, they can get away with it.

The Pelican, Nottinghill

Victorian pub with classic menu.
Although the Hake and Spinach I had was flawless.
The calves liver was the star of the show.
This is probably the only place doing it justice as the texture was velvety and soft unlike other places.
Ambiance was on the noisy side though.

Chongqing noodles at Liu Xiaomian and the new branch at Kingly Court

I love Chongqing noodles so Liu Xiaomian was definitely up my alley which I have been meaning to go.

It is a hidden noodle bar located inside a pub which I got confused with noodle and beer.

The location isn't exactly appealing because there are no other eateries or shops nearby.

When you arrive, you are greeted with a pub situated in a mew, as you enter you will know you are in the right place as you hit with the aromatic smell of Sichuan spices.

To get to the noodle bar, you go down the stairs where it is self service and you order at the kitchen.

The simplicity of the menu was good as there are only a few noodles to choose from: Hot and Sour or Chonging style and snacks.

What I liked about Liu Xiaomian is that they offer the chilli on the side so that anyway who can't eat spicy food can appreciate it.

Here is what we had: Chongqing noodles with minced pork with chickpeas, Hot and Sour potato noodles and Ice Jelly in Brown sugar.

Chongqing noodles:

It was my first time trying non spicy Chongqing noodles thanks to the chilli on the side option.

The non spicy version was surprisingly nice as you get to appreciate it differently and the broth tasted like pork trotters in red fermented beancurd.

Adding the chilli made them even moreish which is how they are meant to taste like but I was in control of how spicy it was which was good.

Some places use peas/mushy peas instead of chickpeas, personally I like peas as I am English.

Hot and Sour potato noodles:

Personally I can't stand potato noodles because of the annoying texture but it was the first time I enjoyed the broth because it was a nice black vinegar they used and the spiciness was just right.

The texture of potato noodles are like soft elastic jelly which are annoying to eat.

It would be good if they let you choose the other noodles instead.

Ice Jelly in Brown sugar:

This was a refreshing dessert but more like a soup as you get bits of clear jelly floating in a brown sugar soup with raisins and some sort of edible flowers.

As I was really impressed, I visited the Carnaby branch as there are some exclusive items there.

The difference is that the location is bang in Soho among other big restaurant chains.

The menu offers more so I dined here for the exclusive items like the spicy pigs trotter noodles and iced tang yuan dessert not available at the flagship branch.

Also ordered the numbing wontons as well.

All with spices aside so I could try it without spices and be in control. 

Before I talk about the food, I wasn't impressed that they took payment straight up after ordering.

I understand this is Chinese style but I doubt the other eateries at Kingly Court would do so. 

It's like they think their customers are going to do a runner after the meal.

Anyway, the guy at the bar spoke good English so I was able to ask about the ingredients while the one with Cantonese English accent was also good but I had to keep my questions simple but it was also quite noisy there which made ordering difficult.

Spicy pig trotter noodles:

Everything tasted how it should.

With soup noodles its all about having a consistent tasting broth and noodles being the right texture ie not too soft or hard. 

The trotters could have been softer. 

Numbing wontons:

Lean meat fillings. 

Iced Tang Yuan:

Again, its more like a drink than dessert.

Crushed ice, chewy mochi rice balls, raisins and fermented rice in a sweet liquid. 

It tasted like Rum and raisin slush with chewy mochi.

Overall, everything tasted how it should. 

But for the same price tag, I feel I'd get more foodgasm from my regular English lunch place with starter, main and dessert.

Burmese food at Cafe Mandalay

Cafe Mandalay is possibly the only place in London for Burmese food.
Located in a residential part of London, it is interesting to see them blend in by offering English fare as well like this other caff which serves Chinese and English.
There is a separate menu for Burmese food while the caff menu is on the board.
The Burmese menu was impressively comprehensive with three pages.
I had the tea leaf salad, mohinga noodles and Burmese tofu and black eye pea cakes.
The tea leaf salad was to my liking, it is normally spicy but I had it without chilli so I was able to appreciate it better.
It had a nice crunch with cabbage, tomatoes, fermented tea leaves, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, fava beans, etc.

You have a nice savoury taste with lots of fish sauce in it.

The mohinga noodles were fishy with blended mackerel but had no bones which was reassuring.

It was topped with lots of grassy coriander, crispy garlic slices and lentil fritters.

Also tried the Burmese tofu and black eye pea cakes which were both fried.

The tofu was interesting as it was yellow and starchy because it contains lentils in it.

Overall, I am glad I tried this place because Burmese fare is a rare find in the UK.