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.

Xi’an BiangBiang Noodle

I love Xi an cuisine so have been meaning to try Xi'an Biangbiang so I could compare it to other ones I have tried in London.

As well as Central London, there is another branch at Aldgate East but as I was near Covent Gardens and checking out this other eatery nearby, I dined here.

I had the Skin cold noodles in Traditional sauce (liangpi) and Pork and veg Wontons in chicken broth.

The liangpi was nice in all respect if they get the vinegar, chilli ratio correct but I felt that the noodles were just Cantonese flat rice noodles.

Although, they had that chew like Liangpi, the width was not as wide or as thin as the liangpi I have tried at other restaurants.

The wontons were just the usual pork wontons, nothing exciting but the seaweed and shrimp was on the stingy side if you refer to the picture on the menu.

I found the wontons a bit boring so dunked them in the remaining liangpi dressing and vinegar.

According to the staff, Dong hu old vinegar is a nice vinegar from Xi an.

Overall, not bad and the staff were really nice.

Retreating at Joe & The Juice on a rainy day

Retreated to Joe & The Juice because it was raining.
Although, this place is famous for healthy juices, I decided to get the White Temple tea by A.C. PERCH with the blueberry and Raw Blueberry & Raspberry Square.
Starting off with the sweet treat, the raspberry and blueberry square was surprisingly decadent yet not sweet.
It had this truffle like texture and then you have the savoury crushed pistachio nuts on top.
Finished with the Temple Tea which was also to my liking composed of white and green tea with candied fruit and pineapple.
I loved the Jasmine floral notes which were aromatic complimented by the sweetness of the candied fruit. #ssgtea

Custard filled pies at Capilungo

Custard cream filled pasticciotto pies from Puglia have hit London at Capilungo.
Choose from classic custard, Amarena cherry, pistachio and chocolate.

I tried the pistachio pasticciotto but unfortunately it was a bit disappointing that I didn't want to try the other flavours because the sweetness was overwhelming that I could not taste the pistachio.

Strangely the shortcrust pastry tasted of mint!

As well as sweet pies, they have rustico savory pastries which are like puff pastries.

The savoury rustico would probably have done this place justice but it was on the steep side.

#ssglondoneats

 

Masala fish from Roosters Grill, Shepherds Bush

Finally tried some Masala fish in London which was nice but I don't think it is authentic as the ones in Brums because if you google Masala fish, a majority of results are from Birmingham!

Anyway, I was a bit disappointed, it just tasted like the fish coated in egg batter in Hong Kong, with that soft jelly like texture and overly seasoned as it was super salty.