Pan fried salmon avocado maki rolls

SOMEONE doesn't eat RAW FISH so they decided to pan fry the maki rolls hence my FIRST EVER pan fried maki rolls review!
At first, I thought it was hilarious and because it was already pan fried, how could I not try.
Obviously they taste better how they were served but when pan fried you get this interesting light crispy texture of the rice and the avocado becomes creamier.
The Salmon was a bit fishy hence the wasabi was needed!!!

Marugame salad udon/ Chicken udon and BK udon to celebrate Marugame turning 2!

I hate udon but happily tried this because it was tossed in a yuzu vinaigrette with salad leaves.
It was really refreshing and moreish especially at the bottom where all the dressing was and the leaves became less crunchy.
The medley of sugar snap peas and baby corn was amazing as you got that burst of delicate sweetness.
I mixed the udon before eating but due to gravity its tastier towards the end

marugame salad udon

Also tried the Salad udon with chicken but I felt that the chicken wasn't really needed because it was tastier without it as the chicken isn't really flavourful and it was quite dry.

On another day, I had the Yuzu udon for £2 to celebrate Marugame UK turning 2.

I didn't have any expectations of this udon in a sweet smoky fish sauce topped with yuzu but it was surprisingly nice.

The fish sauce was not as sweet as anticipated and it gets infused with this refreshing yuzu while you eat.

marugame BK udon with yuzu

Japanese basics at Tokyo Diner

Tokyo Diner has been around for decades since 1992 but I just haven't given it a visit until recently because there are way too many enticing cuisines let alone the endless offerings in London!

Anyway, Tokyo Diner is simple and serves Japanese basics such as sushi, udon, soba to Bento boxes at cheerful prices.

Sadly, on our visit they did not have the soba so had the udon instead and the salmon donburi with some sashimi and tofu on top.

The udon was definitely memorable because it was so firm and chewy compared to other places.

Overall, the donburi was really good but I didn't like the sweet tamago (egg) and the salmon in the donburi was quite different to the sashimi one which was rather fatty.

Extra rice is on the house if you require more which is handy because I love my carbs.

Amazing blackforest cake at L'ETO Compton Edition

L'eto is everywhere and its a head turner because their cakes by the window will get everyone's attention.
I have always wanted to try leto because the cakes look fancy but held back because I wasn't sure if the taste would correspond.
Finally tried on a rainy day and and the blackforest which really paid off.
A bit pricey but it was perfect from cream cake ratio to sweetness.
The texture of the chocolate sponge was just right and most importantly you could taste the cocoa.
The vanilla cream was light and fluffy and the cherry on top was a juicy sweet ripe one.

Another visit, tried the chocolate cinnamon cake at the Long Acre branch, also amazing

Tiramisu and Tuna nigiri at Yokattara Sushi

Yokattara specializes in sushi but I felt like dessert that day so had the matcha tiramisu which was creamy and grassy.
Finally tried the tuna nigiri one afternoon because everything else was tried in that area.

I was actually surprised by how good it was because it was so different because the rice was not too hard or too soft, it was actually firm and chewy like burnt rice but not crispy.

Also tried the crispy roll which was pleasing.

Quick hot pot fix at ZhangLiang Malatang Chinatown 张亮麻辣烫

If you like hot pots and everything cooked for you then this is the place to go.
You simply choose what you want from the chilled food bar, place it in your bowl, choose a broth and when it is all cooked, you just collect it and eat.

The price is by weight so some items are definitely going to cost more because of their weight.

Overall, it was a really good experience but if you can't tolerate the spices you are limited to the tomato or mushroom broth which makes it boring.

It would be good if they could have different spiciness levels for the Sichuan broth because I would definitely come back for it.

Having tried the Sichuan broth, it was very authentic but too spicy for me to tolerate hence I couldn't really eat it.

The tomato broth isn't bad as the tomato taste is appetizing and natural but ideally I would love a spicy broth for a hot pot.