Ukrainian fare at Serenity Restaurant, Harrow on the Hill

Serenity, an authentic place for Ukrainian food which is off the radar at Harrow on the hill.Unfortunately the jellied chicken and squid ink plemeni were sold out.
The highlight was the borscht soup with Salo [pork lard slices], soup contained pork.
The plemeni was the usual, ordered lamb which turned out to be chicken because they were not labelled.
The Kyiv cake was lovely and light made of chewy meringue nuts and cream.
Menu says hazelnut but found peanuts.

Would have been nice to try the stuff that was sold out because the dumplings and other stuff can be bought at Eastern European supermarkets.

Schiacciata flatbread from Florence

Stumbled on Dal Fiorentino which I thought was an Italian deli that has been here for years but apparently new.
There are two locations, Hoxton and Brick lane.
When I saw their Schiacciata sandwiches I couldnt stop thinking about it so had to pay it a visit.
They are priced from 5 to 8 with various choices or you can choose the fillings.
Scanning the options, clearly the Inferno was a winner with mortadella, gorgonzola, black olive paste and sun dried tomatoes.
All my favourite tasty elements in a sandwich.
I like the way they use the wooden block to cut the bread precisely.
The mortadella is sliced to order and a good quality one because there are pistachios in it.
They definitely don't skimp on it too.
Taking a bite, it was well worth my visit.
I loved that chewy yet soft fluffy bready texture and then the crisp surface.
I felt that it was more satisfying than a baguette because of the surface area/ratio of bread/crust.
Not to mention the foodgasmic filling.
Finished with the pistachio Schiaciatta for dessert.
When they were making it, there was so much slathered on, I was expecting her to stop but more was spread on.
The quality of this spread is banging, thick and nutty with a slight dryness that you get from peanut butter but didn't see what brand it was.
Again, heaven! Schiaciatta is good sweet or savoury.
To be honest, the pistachio is good enough for two if you have one side each!

Breakfast with bottomless tea at Jack's at the Junction, Clapham Junction

DIY breakfast at Jack's at the Junction in Clapham Junction.

On my way to ASDA, I always pass this café.
Finally went in for a quick brunch and sat by the window since I was on my own because that spot is nice and bright for food pictures as well as being quiet.
I think I was definitely anaemic that day because I was craving for spinach and black pudding.
The guy who plated it contrasted the colours nicely.
The black pudding is always a good way of testing out their food because you can taste to see if its tainted with bacon or sausage during cooking.
Anyway, my breakfast was definitely impressive especially when it was presented and the spinach was leafy and green.
It was a big pile and not shrivelled up so I will be back for more.
The rewarding thing is the bottomless tea which is much needed after a fry up.

Went back again on another day and ordered the DIY again, this time I got Corned beef hash, double spinach, bacon, sausages, poached eggs and avocado but they forgot it was double spinach so I just had one.

The Corned beef hash was surprisingly nice with the onions but was on the sweet side and the carrots were hard and not quite fresh, other than that the bacon quality was good.

The sausages were surprisingly nice but could have been softer in the middle but that's to do with the meat ratio.

Veganuary doughnuts at Crosstown

Ended up at Crosstown again because of their new doughnuts for Veganuary.

This time I got the Rhubarb matcha and the HAZELNUT PRALINE, TARRAGON & GREEN APPLE.

Both were quite nice.

Tarragon is a herb mainly used in cooking with fish or meat but rarely for sweet things so I had to try the HAZELNUT PRALINE, TARRAGON & GREEN APPLE doughnut at Crosstown.
The doughnut has Hazelnut praline icing with a tangy green apple and tarragon gel, finished with hazelnut bresilienne.
The doughnut was surprisingly nice as the tarragon and apple was refreshing which had a similar effect like lemon tarragon with fish.


The MATCHA & RHUBARB doughnut was filled with
Tangy rhubarb and sweet strawberry compote in a vegan sourdough base, topped with a matcha and green tea glaze, then covered with a sprinkling of strawberry crumble.
It was well filled and seriously delicious.

The Tea Cosy, Stevenage

The Tea Cosy, another lovely greasy spoons with purple romance.
Love the purple tables and chairs.
Had the fry up which was nice and I like the way how they offer you how well you want the bacon.
This is the second greasy spoon that has offered it.

Full set of pics:

https://www.facebook.com/SuperBritishGirl/posts/pfbid02ifnjfxhTC8Hqj1kgscdL98ARy3hwUzgFZMTFc3bxUZtMWuxrNzFRcQcHbgfWCGyhl

Pretentious buffet experience at The Real China, Comet Way

Decided to check this restaurant out because the ones either side of it were chains which can be tried elsewhere.

Taking a look, I didn't have any expectations especially the dessert section because it LOOKS like dessert but it was random stuff put together like a chocolate coin sitting in some whipped cream.

The aromatic duck was evidently chopped up and looking like floss and the ribs were very dry.

The prawns looking like prawns were over cooked and rubbery.

The sweetcorn soup tasted like syrup while the hot and sour soup was the opposite tasting like vinegar.

The crab claws were the cheapest on the planet compared to other brands which actually have a crab smell but these were just white and soft in the middle with not taste.

The only normal tasting thing were the fresh oranges.

To summarize if Chopstix had a buffet restaurant, this would be the result.

Hotel Review: EasyHotel Croydon

Hotel reviews are hard but this one was easy!

With EasyHotels, they are memorable because of the branding and everything you require you need to pay!

The location is convenient but troublesome because there are so many traffic lights to cross even though it was close to East Croydon station.

I was a bit shocked as a two star hotel it was not cheap and you only get a room with a bed and nothing else!

For checking in early, there is a fee as well!

Firstly, the room is small which I expected but it was so bare that it does not have a kettle.

There is not even a chair or anything beside the bed to put your clothes or glasses.

Bathroom has an edge that is easy to trip over.