Real Food Festival 2009

I'm indebted to K for smuggling me in, so thank you K.

www.peggyscupcakes.co.uk

www.norbitoncheese.co.uk

www.oysters.co.uk

www.degustibus.co.uk

That chap behind the cheese was giving another photographer the theory of relativity on why no one is allowed to take photos of his stall! Tompous pwit!

By enlarge All the exhibitors were very friendly and obliging save the above.

‘We do not castrate, clip the tails or the teeth of any our pigs’

Nice reassuring reminder from this friendly stall. www.candbmeats.co.uk

www.flourpowercity.com

www.kinknives.com
even if I don't cook, I want one of these...

Free food samples at the show were limited to mere scraps or nowt. If you wish to stop the tummy rumbling you'll have to pay for it! My Salt Marsh Lamb burger at £4 from the The Thoroughly Wild Meat Co Ltd

The burger was incredibly tasty, can't say much for the fridge cold bun...

www.atkinsonsteaandcoffee.co.uk

www.grumpymule.co.uk
The best coffee I tasted at the show

www.unionroasted.com

www.thedelistation.com

Took a break and found this lost soul and Tardis on Earls Court Road

www.thefreshfishcompany.co.uk

ditto...
Have you noticed by now, no snaps of booze, sorry folks!

Allegra McEvedy
I must say that she was an absolute natural, funny and spontaneous; still I find her Leon crap!

The highlight of the show was Braggard himself
He coined that himself, it's stitched on his sleeves!

His reputation is intact with a dish of ox hearts

Despite the horrible 'P'...

...he's still very much a classic English eccentric!
The geezer's my kinda hero!

Ox heart and beetroot salad à la St.John


www.realfoodfestival.co.uk

Bonda Café

The best Rendang Daging in London is currently found at Bonda Café. However there’s also the small problem with ‘off-days’ at this place, the dish in question can taste pretty depressing to the spirit. Maybe I’m just being hard on Bonda, rendang always tastes best when it has been lingering for days (gets better with time and whatnot) and perhaps I’ve been unfortunate with eating the dish when it was freshly cooked. Tough cuts of beef when rushed during the cooking process amount to nothing but chewy pemmican. Lest I forget Rendang Daging is the traditional Malay beef dish cooked in coconut milk with a cornucopia of South East Asian spices.

Bonda is affectionately ‘Mommie Dearest’ (my interpretation) in Malay. It’s located in the basement of a rather tired (possibly seedy) looking guest house/student hall known as Mara House.

Its Paddington whereabouts is more typically associated with restaurants hell-bent on tourist-trap intentions. Bonda Café’s predecessor, Nahar Cafeteria was a stalwart of Malay dining houses in London; in spite of its grimness and forlorn ambience it was championed by a lot of people for its cheap but half decent food.

When Bonda took over around a year and a half ago they set out to bring some kind of modernity to the dining room.

Yes it’s more modern, but like most cellar dining outfits (especially cafés) they age in no time.

To the good people who suffer from SAD, beware of the fact that Bonda’s only source of natural daylight comes from one lone window (actually come to think of it the ventilation as well!).

Somehow I can’t picture how this place is able to host a Valentine's night. Service here is polite and suitably egalitarian.

For cheap eats, Bonda is one of only three places (Makan and Malaysia Hall Canteen) that offer Nasi Campur. This is basically plain rice with up to three selections of pre-cooked dishes of your choice plus a very token side of boiled cabbage. From £4.20 to £5.50.

This set meal option is dirt cheap, wonderful eating and as long as you’re not a certain A. Gloop, it’s mighty filling. Like Nasi Lemak, Nasi Campur is a dish that flies the flag for Malaysia.

Most of the other one-dish meals are noodle based. They’re ok-ish and they can’t stand up to the non-halal offerings found at MKT, Rasa Sayang or Sedap.

There’s also an array of dish warmers that sits alongside the main kitchen counter.

Here you’ll find some Malaysian street snacks like fish balls on skewers, otak-otak (fish cake wrapped in banana leaf), curry puffs, Pisang Goreng (fried banana) and fritters of all sorts including this-

Cucur Udang (Prawn Fritters) very oily, but like all things deep fried they’re always twice as nice to eat.

One of the stand out dishes from the à la carte is the Ikan Goreng Berlada (Deep fried mackerel in chilli sauce).

Again on an off day, this dish can be mercilessly oily, but by enlarge it is an enthralling dish. It’s spicy, fragrant and will almost certainly blow your socks away.

Oh if you thought asparagus gives urine a distinctive smell, well you haven’t tried petai beans (also known as stink beans in Chinese). These easy eating blighters (despite what Wiki implies) will guarantee you place with the Whiffy Appreciation Society for up to three days! Go on I dare you, they are offered fried in hot chilli sambal with either anchovies or prawns.

The Rendang Daging, as Bonda's motto suggests is a 'home away from home' dish. Melting meat, rich and spicy coconut sauce, and the smell of lemon grass is heavenly. So let us stress once again, on a good day, this is my most perfect beef rendang in London.

Bonda Café is an another great addition to the list of halal Malaysian dining. Highly recommended.


190 Sussex Gardens
Paddington
London W2 1PU

www.bondacafe.blogspot.com

Brighton

A working/layabout day in Brighton beckons

East Croydon, every over-stayer's nightmare

I like my coffee, but at the same time I'm not that desperate

The last time I came here was over five years ago when I took my daughter to my old prison school.

Just checking we're in the right town.

Brighton is also well served by TSB.

Wondrous Flat White made by Fergus, this 'A' cup puts some of the London efforts to shame!
It was also my very first Flat White (as well as cappuccino) in Brighton.

Work

Work

Now I do the touristy thing

Sod the sandcastles!

Sea Haze seafood stall.

There's only one English way with seafood preparation, just boil everything and serve cold!
Those crabs are not real and by enlarge I can't stand crabsticks!

Seafood cocktail for £2.50.
I decided not to show the second photo whereby the cup was drenched with lashings of malt vinegar. Yum.

Brighton Smoke House aka Jack & Linda Mills Traditional Fish Smokers

They're famous for their fresh crab sandwiches. £3.20
A simplistic sarnie using the freshest shellfish. Bit of bargain compared to some of Pret's deluxe jobbies.

Coffee@33

Lovely slice of Raspberry and Coconut bake

Another great Flattie in Brighton, this time using Monmouth beans.

The layout and concept are quite clearly inspired by Fernandez & Wells

Brighton station

£21.00 day return, rip-off Britain!

Home

Taylor St Baristas
Travelbag
130 Queens Rd
Brighton
BN1 3WB

Sea Haze
207 Kings Road Arches
Brighton

Brighton Smoke House
197 Kings Road Arches
Brighton

Coffee@33
33 Trafalgar Street
Brighton BN1 4ED