Affordable ramen at Kokura

Overall authentic ramen served at this place however I would say they are on the salty side.
The seasonal special Tom Yum is seriously good especially if you like a tangy broth.
It is topped with shimeji and white fungas.
The chicken broth for the other ramen is definitely chickeny but it tastes like stock made from chicken bones.

Lunch at Chez Elles, Brick Lane

Along Brick Lane where it is famous for curries and recently an influx of Chinese restaurants.
We went against the grain and had French food.
The setting and menu was authentic however the overall quality could have been a little better.
The cheese souffle was a little cold, while the beef tartare had chewy bits.
Last but not least the duck confit was a bit dry.

Lunch at Cloth Restaurant, Farringdon

Cloth Restaurant, another great option for English fare in a lovely historic building.
During lunch, it is either a la carte or from the lunch set.
The lunch set was good that day so had the two course with a dessert from the main menu.
Started off with the egg and potato which was layers of crispy potatoes and cod roe puree.
I found them similar to confit potatoes at my regular to go to place.
The second course boudin noir which exceeded my expectations as it had a good ratio of pulled meat so it wasn't fatty.
At first I thought it was pulled beef however it was paired with apple sauce so it was probably pulled pork.
For dessert, looking at the menus, the two desserts were quite similar.
The set lunch was rhubarb sorbet with citrus caramel while the main menu was rhubarb and honey custard.
The rhubarb custard we got also had the sorbet so we didn't miss out on the set lunch dessert.
Overall, I am so glad we visited because they delivered.

Traditional afternoon tea at the Anchor, Chelsea Harbour Hotel

My partner booked the Traditional afternoon tea at the Anchor, Chelsea Harbour Hotel.
Location was not exactly convenient.
When we were in view of the hotel, it just reminded me of the Copthorne Hotel and it turns out its from the same group.
Entering the place, it was very Chinese with red paper things like Asia but probably due to CNY.
Anyway, had the afternoon tea which was a waste of money.
The worst thing was the sandwiches which were so dry that you could run your fingers on the surface of the bread and get no resistance.
The bread felt so dry and rough that it would not deform upon touch like fresh bread.
The classic scones were too crumbly and hard like American biscuits [the Southern style American ones], again they look and taste like the scones in Asia.
The tea menu didn't quite align with me as it was too floral so the only choices were either black or green.

Dalian food at Xi home dumplings bay with haggis dumplings, Dan Dan noodles and Menzi

Xi home dumplings obviously specialize in dumplings with seafood from Dalian like abalone, sea cucumber etc but the signature dumplings are quite expensive like £27 per portion and it doesn't say how many!!

I have already had my fare share of these sort of dumplings at similar restaurants.

Anyway, finally paid a visit because of the Haggis dumplings and discovered other dishes which I tried as at both branches.

My first impression of the new branch was a bit disorganized as there were so menus for the haggis dumplings so it was hard to order them.

It was late January yet they still had the Christmas menu on the table as well as the window.

After waiting for a while, I managed to find the physical haggis menu as there was a pile of them near the counter.

The haggis dumplings were a little different from what I imagined because it turns out that they use chopped offal like lungs and liver and not actual haggis.

The taste was ok but a bit gamey.

The dan dan noodles were seriously good because it is not the usual peanut broth.

It has fine noodles tossed in sauce made with chilli oil, Sichuan pepper, sesame paste and garlic topped with minced meat and pickled greens.
What I love about it is the super thin noodles which hang the sauce well and the finely chopped pickled green.
Overall you get this lovely complex taste with the Sichuan spices and aromatic sesame paste but the only thing I did not like was the sweetness.

Spotted Dalian menzi on the menu so had to give it a try as it is something I never came across or heard of.

Very tasty but expensive but considering I didn't have to fly over they were worth the experience.

They are crispy with a soft texture like steamed Chinese starch based savoury puddings.

Again, very tasty in this rich garlic, sesame sauce.

As well as the vegetarian option, you can also choose the seafood style but I felt that trying the vegetarian option is recommended as this is how they serve them as street snacks in Dalian.

Unlimited and bottomless Beijing food at Big Bowl Noodle bar

At the Big Bowl Noodle bar, expect bottomless food for £12.80!
Similar to those Chinese style rice and dish meals but this was bottomless.
It was a good way of trying out different Beijing dishes like braised beef, Zha Jiang, egg and tomato etc.
I would definitely get the noodles which go well with most toppings especially the salty Zha Jiang bean sauce.
The tomato egg was nice as it was not too sweet.
The fun part is the buffet style where you get the toppings yourself.
Best to get there early before the crowd as I went later in the day when there was barely much left and I wasn't sure whether to wait for a refill or not.
There is also a condiments bar with chilli, vinegar, spring onions etc.
Takeaway is even cheaper at £9.80.

Currently, there is too much pork options but then they consume a lot of pork in the Chinese cuisine!