Malaysian Ikan bakar at an unsuspecting Thai Cafe

Traditional Ikan bakar is fish smothered with a spicy sambal and then wrapped in banana leaf to cook.

I discovered Thai Cup, an unsuspecting Thai eatery owned by a Malaysian serves Ikan Bakar.

Not only do they do Skate but they have other options like clams, squid, egg etc with optional petai beans and winged beans so there is something for everyone.

As well as the bbq, they also have Laksa etc.

Tried the Ikan Bakar with skate where you can choose traditional sambal but as a non spicy eater I got the prawn paste.

Overall, it was really nice however I felt that the prawn paste was just garlicky and lacked prawn taste.

It took a while to arrive and it was quite watery so I am guessing it was defrosted before cooking.

The disposable cutlery and floppy paper bowls for the noodles were annoying.

Also tried the pandan coconut drink but the coconut was more prominent than the pandan.

Other than that, everything else is fine but I wasn't comfy with the security camera at customer level among the orange napkins.

Surprisingly good Asian noodles at a Deli in London

Chapters Deli is a cosy hole in wall eatery in Bishopgate offering hot food like pasta, baked potatoes and sandwiches.

Expect to find the usual eg coronation chicken/focaccia etc but you also find paella and black bean noodles!!!
The black bean noodles seem really popular as everyone was having it so why not try them.
It comes with escalope/katsu chicken which I didn't want.
I even saw someone order that and had parmesan on top!!
Anyway, just as expected, it was so damn satisfying.
The noodles had a lovely black bean smell which delivered in taste along with the onions and bell peppers.
It tastes so much nicer than Chinese because they are not stir fried and don't have a horrible metallic smell nor are they oily.
Will definitely return for the paella but this place gets quite busy which you can avoid by going late.

Let's not neglect the humble baked potato at Spud Bros

It is now 2024 and sadly many beloved staples have gone out of fashion, one of them is the humble baked potato especially in London.

Spudulike went into administration in 2019 while a modern concept The Potato project which started in 2015 managed to keep running until 2018.

The only place you can find them are at greasy spoons which relatively isn't cheap but Thankfully they are still offered.

I am so Thankful for the social media trend that it has revived the humble baked potato even if it means a three month popup in London which hopefully will make people fall in love again.

The menu at Spud Bros has all the basics like butter, cheese, baked beans, chilli con carne, curry and tuna mayo.

There are TRAM specials with the popular pairings like cheese and beans, cheese and chilli etc with crispy onion toppings and their signature sauces.

For me a good jacket potato is delicious on its own with some salt and butter if it is well as baked.

What I mean is the potato is soft and fluffy that it does not require much force when the jacket is pressed the potato will fluff up or when you use a fork to prep it for the fillings.

It's been a while so I wanted a simple baked potato so just had some cheese and butter as fillings.

Overall, it was nice but the feeling was different because the potatoes were cut in half laid flat with the cheese topped on.

The potato was not quite fluffy as expected and had resistance on the wooden fork which you can really feel since it was a disposable one.

In terms of texture I am not sure if it is related to the type of potato or the way it was baked.

Other than that, I would still recommend it.

Lush chips at Fresh Fry in Coulsdon

I love trying different chippies so this one has been on my list but it is takeaway only so one day I finally gave them a visit and had them open and ate nearby. The chips were lush, they were all uniform in colour and these were definitely memorable because they are cut like steak chips which are wider with a rectangle cross section area. Each chip was delicious and it was glossy but not oily which makes them to my liking as they are moist yet have a crisp exterior. The fact that it has this lovely smooth gloss exterior gives it that ability to take salt and vinegar well. Each chip was delicious, bursting with sticky fluffy potato followed by that moreish salt and vinegar kick.
I liked the way the chip exterior is soft and does not give resistance to the chippy fork. This is how chips should be and they were so tasty that they don't really need other condiments but a really sharp ketchup would be nice. As I got to the bottom of the cone, there were some crispy bits, the edges of the potato which were equally as delicious so all in all nothing was wasted because some chips shops are quite random you can get lots of scraps/dry bits etc. Overall I was pleased with my chips. The fish was also good, it was moist and flakey but the batter was too oily that it all came through on the wrap, other than that they were amazing. The batter was on the bitter side but that my problem because I have the PTC gene which makes me sensitive to the slightest bitter taste. Will definitely be returning. #ssgfishnchips

Vegan buffet for £9.99 at Su Vegan buffet

Formerly Tai Veg which had a branch in Hong Kong causeway bay but closed decades ago, there is a branch in London now rebranded as Su vegan.

Although I was aware I didn't ever go because I didn't like the staff there which were so unfriendly.
It's now much nicer with English speaking staff which is reflected by more customers.
Anyway, I loved the green ginger sauce on potatoes, the duck for pancakes were so dry so I put mince instead from the aubergines dish.
Highlights were corn soup, mapo tofu, potatoes and green ginger sauce, sago dessert.

The mapo tofu was really tasty because it was strong on the miso bean side but not spicy.

Plates are small like side plates which is good in a way for those without self control and it stop those people who take a large quantity of the same item leaving nothing for others.

Overall dirt cheap and delicious vegan buffet with peace and quiet yet civilised.