Review: Beigel Bake

Beigel Bake on Brick Lane is there for you when your heart desires some delicious meat beigel. It's open 24/7! I went there with friends after the New Years Eve fireworks. Though I avoid red meat I was determined to try out the salted beef at Beigel Bake. I was curious to see if it compared to the amazing Schwartz's smoked meat in Montreal seen below:

 

As usual the bakery was busy, but the line-up moved very fast. We quickly had our salted meat beigel in our hands.

The beigel was fresh and more spongy than doughy. The meat portion was generous. It was soft and succulent. There was a lot of fat bits in it, but hey, that's what makes the meat so moist and juicy. 

So does Beigel Bake compare to my beloved Schwartz's? Truth be told, no. The Schwartz's meat is simply divine. It's so moist that it'll melt in your mouth. That said, Beigel Bake comes to a close second.  The meat beigel is delicious and I highly recommend it. There is also something special and fun about eating a meat beigel at 2 in the morning. You can't beat that, can you?

Beigel Bake offers several other options besides the beef. On the menu you'll find chicken and fish as well. There are also some inviting desserts, muffins, brownies, croissants, etc.

As always, to health and happiness folks! 

Review: Sri Thong

I had been meaning to try Sri Thong for a while now. I finally got a group and went there this evening. From the exterior the restaurant looks chic, relaxing and inviting. The interior is modern, spacious and delicate. I loved the rose on each table. It was a nice touch. Each table also came with a complementary rice crisp basket. 

We started with appetisers, duck spring rolls, as recommended by our server and chilli squid. 

Duck Spring Rolls: Shredded duck with glass noodles and crunchy vegetables wrapped in wanton pastry and deep fried 

Chilli squid: Squid with a light tempura deep fried and tossed in the wok with fresh chilli and crisped garlic

The duck spring rolls were crispy on the outside and soft and flavourful on the inside. The sweetness of the noodles was pleasant and went well with the savoury shredded duck. The chilli squids were definitely the star. They were meaty and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. They went very well with the chilli and crisped garlic. Both spring rolls and squids were cooked to perfection, just golden, not undercooked or overcooked. Loved it.

As for the entrees we went with the following: 

Yum Spinach: Deep fried spinach and stir fried fine beans with a topping of cracked cashew nuts, Penang red curry and coconut milk

This was my friend's entree and she did not like it. I also tasted it and agree with her. There was too much peanut and the sauce was too sweet. The most strange thing was the spinach tempura. It was very thick and dry, thicker and drier than potato crisps. The texture was unpleasant and difficult to chew. 

Pud Thai: Noodles stir fried with prawns, egg, beansprouts and a tamarind sauce

Another friend ordered this Pud Thai. Pud Thai tends to be a safe dish at Thai restaurants. Most of them get it right. This Pud Thai was certainly a good choice. The sweetness was just right and the noodles were not overcooked. The veggies were also pleasantly cooked such that you could feel the texture. The prawns were also juicy and flavourful. Overall, an excellent choice at Sri Thong.

Singapore vegetable noodles: Vermicelli rice noodles wok fried with toasted cumin, broccoli, beansprouts and fresh chilli

Another friend went with vegetarian noodles. It was a good choice for him as he is not adventurous when it comes to different cuisines. He enjoyed these noodles but preferred the veggies to be more cooked. 

Tom Yum Goong: Spicy soup with prawns, kaffir leaves, galangal root and lemon grass

My friend went with this soup and loved it. He thought that the heat of the chilli was well-balanced with the savouriness of the prawns and the stock. I tasted the stock and found it to be rich and full of flavour. 

And finally, on to my entree, I had green curry with chicken and jasmine rice.

Gang Kiew Gai: Chicken simmered in a green curry with coconut milk, bamboo shoots and aubergine

Kao Suai: Steamed Thai Jasmine rice

The curry was fragrant with coconut and basil. That was the first thing I noticed about it. It was rich, comforting and creamy. The chicken breast was juicy. The heat was well-balanced. What I loved the most about this dish were the veggies. They were cooked just right, not undercooked or overcooked. I enjoyed their crunchy texture. As for the rice, it was nicely cooked, except that it lacked the fragrance of jasmine though the rice was fragrant on its own.

The service was excellent. Our server was welcoming, attentive and helpful with food recommendations. A gentleman who appeared to be the owner or manager walked us to the door upon our depature. That's a very nice gesture. Overall, I am very pleased with my experience at Sri Thong and do highly recommend it. It's good food, good atmosphere and good service. 

Sri Thong 

1 Widegate St

London E1 7ES

(Near Liverpool Stn)

www.srithong.co.uk

The restaurant also has another branch, called Sri Suwoon near Victoria Stn, see www.srisuwoon.co.uk for details. 

H & H

Review: The Breakfast Club

Today, I went to the Breakfast Club with a couple of friends. We had the option of ordering from the brunch menu or the lunch menu. They serve brunch until 5 pm. How fantastic is that! We went with the brunch menu. I went with Veggie All American and my friends went with The Full Monty and When Haloumi Met Salad Wrap. 

Veggie All American - pancakes, eggs, veggie sausage, mushrooms, home-style fried potatoes and maple syrup 

The Full Monty - bacon, sausage, black pudding, eggs, home-style fried potatoes, mushrooms, beans, grilled tomato and toasted multigrain bloomer

When Haloumi Met Salad Wrap - grilled haloumi, sunblush tomatoes, houmous, spinach, balsamic reduction in a warm tortilla wrap

My friends enjoyed their meals a lot. As for my entree, here are my thoughts: 

The fried potatoes were nicely cooked, soft and creamy, but were not flavourful. The mushroom (not mushrooms as described in the menu) was juicy, thick and flavourful. Loved it. The eggs were fried perfectly. The veggie sausage was delicious. It was creamy and soft inside and crispy on the outside. I forgot to ask the server about what exactly was in the sausage, cheddar perhaps? 

I was disappointed with the pancakes that I ate with a little bit of maple and agave syrup. The pancakes were not fluffy but rather thick and doughy. The pancake was heavy and cutting it felt like cutting steak. 

As for the drinks, I went with black coffee and and my friends went with flat white and camomile tea.

I love the "I <3 BC" label. To me, it means "I <3 British Columbia." :D Unfortunately, my cup had hair in it. The server replaced my coffee and apologised. I'm OK with it. I got an apology and these things happen sometimes. 

The service was quick and the servers were courteous. I enjoyed the relaxed vibe and the groovy music as well. The decor was unique and nostalgic. It brought back some nice childhood memories, especially the SEGA and old school TV. 

Overall, the food was comforting and the atmosphere was welcoming. I do recommend The Breakfast Club. It's an excellent place for a lazy Sunday brunch. There are five locations and I went to the one at Spitalfields. 

http://www.thebreakfastclubcafes.com/

To health and happiness and comforting fried eggs :)

Review: Rosa's Thai Cafe

On a recent trip to Brick Lane my friends and I noticed Rosa's Thai Cafe. It's a tiny cozy restaurant right beside Poppie's, my favourite fish and chips restaurant. Last Sunday I was desperately craving for Thai curry and got some friends and headed to Rosa's. The restaurant was packed when we arrived. The server invited us to go downstairs and sit down while waiting for a table. It didn't take long until we were back upstairs and sat on a table of six with two strangers. Yes, we shared the table with a couple. It was awkward. It looked like they were on a date and I felt like we were intruding. I also noticed that other parties shared tables as well. So be prepared to share your table when you go to Rosa's. Anyway, the menu looked amazing. I wasn't sure if I should go with Rosa's green curry or the pumpkin red curry. I had never heard of pumpkin curry so I decided to try it out. My friends went with Pad Thai, green curry with seafood and green curry with chicken. 

Pumpkin Red Curry

 Pad Thai and Shrimp

Green Curry and Chicken

Green Curry and Seafood

The curries were fantastic. They were creamy, comforting and fragrant. The pumpkin and curry were a perfect match. I definitely made the right choice to go with red curry and highly recommend it. I loved the basil in the green curry. It really stood out as it should but usually doesn't in most green curries I've tried. The Pad Thai was flavourful and a favourite as well. 

We also went with jasmine rice and steamed rice.

The jasmine rice was excellent, except that it wasn't jasmine rice. It lacked fragrance. It seemed like regular rice. I didn't try the sticky rice, but my friend who had it with green curry and chicken enjoyed it very much.

As for drinks we went with coconut water. I love coconut water, especially when it comes with the pulp. However, the coconut water at Rosa's was too sweet and I don't recommend it. 

I also need to mention that my plate wasn't clean and I had to ask for a replacement. No apology. That's unfortunate. 

The service was quick and the servers were helpful and respectful. 

I enjoyed the relaxed and inviting atmosphere, especially the Christmas decorations: 

Overall, I was very pleased with my meal and I do recommend Rosa's. It's not perfect, but it offers delicious food and nice service. Make sure to check out the website, especially the blog section where you'll find cooking tutorials and recipes. I just wish the website had some information about Rosa, her cooking and her story. Rosa's Thai Cafe has three locations in London: Spitalfields, Westfield Stratford and Soho. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Rosa's Thai Cafe

http://rosaslondon.com/

H & H