RickBehl

Hi, I'm heading out the new Tom Conran venture, 'Crazy Homies' tonight in Westbourne Grove, London. Apparently it's the restaurant which will put the 'real' Mexican food on the map in London. (I think I recall a very old thread which once asked why there were no 'real' Mexican eateries in the capital) Anyhow, has anyone been ? and if so what do you recommend on the menu ? Thanks in Advance Rick

Ok, thanks, I guess I have been pointed to the correct place !

Ok, finally making down to RVB for a birthday dinner on Thursday night (treating the girlfriend). Question is: What do we order ? Or what have others eaten which should not be missed ? I hear there is a tasting menu. Is that the best way to experience the best of the food ? Thanks in advance Rick

Thanks for the tips. Looks like Maisen wins on account of views here and on other forums/reviews. Is Katsukura a chain ? I believe I went to one last time I was in Tokyo. It was in the Roppongi Hills complex. I think I opted for the slightly fattier version on offer which was very good ! I must admit I was a bit confused to start with as to what to do with all the condiments that come with it. That was until the nice Japanese lady next to me showed me the 'ritual' of Tonkatsu Do 'fire' and 'Rosu' refer to lean and fattier ? Rgds Rick

Ok, simple question that may have been answered before. Where is the best Tonkatsu in Tokyo ? I keep seeing Tonki and Maisen mentioned and will definitely give one or both of them a go but any other opinions are welcome. Thanks in advance Rick

The original recipe looks very familiar with the one I have experimented with, except of course no green onions (replace with shallots in the paste) and some shrimp paste (in the paste). The other difference is that I use no oil. First of all, I will 'crack' the thick coconut cream in the wok over medium heat. This is the point where the oil will start to emerge from the cream. This usually takes a couple of minutes. Then add the paste into the cream. The coconut cream is then able to be used as a cooking medium for the paste (instead of oil). Once the paste has 'cracked' a little, then it is time to carry on with the rest of the recipe as you currently do (add chicken, etc). I too often find that the colour doesn't come out quite as green as I've had in restaurants and would be interested too find out what other people do to try and help this (without resorting to artificial colouring). I think the cumin/coriander sometimes causes it to go slightly muddy coloured. I have the same problem with the red curry. It often comes out brown and although tastes pretty good just doesn't look like a 'red curry'. Sometimes adding a fresh red chilli does help although I am hesitant to add things like paprika (which I have seen in some recipes). Rgds Rick

Thanks for the comprehensive responses ! Out of interest I posted the same question on the Lonely Planet bulletin board a couple of weeks ago and got some great responses there too. The link for that thread is: http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/messagep...rentid=0&from=1 Thanks again, Rick

Hi, I've read so much about the great food in Mexico but was wondering if anyone had personal recommendations on what to eat (regional specialities) and where to eat them (which towns/ restaurants/ street stalls/ etc). I have the Lonely Planet World Food Mexico which is a great reference guide but I'm sure some of you must have your favourite restaurants/street stalls. I plan to be travelling around Central to South Mexico, probably taking in Mexico City, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Oaxaca, and some of the Western coastal areas. Thanks in advance, RickBehl

I am truly envious. All this talk of Thai street food is making me drool all over my keyboard ! The last time I went to Thailand I picked up a book called 'Thai Hawker Food' before I left. This is only a small book I believe written by Bangkok students to try and record all the different types of Thai hawker dishes together with a small section on known areas to try the different dishes. I'm not sure how up to date the locations are but the first section describing all the different dishes is very useful. Here is a link I found where you can buy the book: http://www.thaihypermarket.com/books/food_...reethawker.html I can't remember too much about the hawkers we went to but for restaurants I can definitely recommend Sarah Jane in the Sindhorn Tower for Issan food (very good gai yang and issan sausage), My Choice which I can find the address fo if you want. (great catfish salad with green mango and curries). We also went to Lemongrass which was rated highly in all the guidebooks. While the surroundings were great (a Thai traditional house) and the food was good, it was a bit more expensive than other places we went to. Have you visited mamsters site ? It has great sections on Bangkok food. The Bangkok links are at the bottom of this page: http://www.mamster.net/food/ Have fun and I really look forward to your report back ! Rick

In my view, the closest you can get to a balti/cafe/canteen place in London is to go to Aldgate in East London and then either the 'Lahore Karahi House' on Umberston street, or the 'New Tayyab' on Fieldgate St. Both are very simple and cheap places, usually full of Indians and Pakistanis. The menus (especially in the Lahore) are very limited but what they do, they do well. And what they do well is seekh kebabs, chicken tikkas, fresh naans, and karahi dishes. Typical Punjabi fayre, with no messing about. If you want more info on these places, try searching the 'United Kingdom' forum as these are popular places. Rgds Rick

I'm referring to Morning Glory, the asian green vegetable. Looks a bit like a cross between spinach and Chinese 'Gai-Lan'. I think there is a recipe for the wok-fried version in the cookbook 'It Rains Fishes' (which I recommended for any Thai food fanatics). Rick

There is a great restaurant here in London which does a stir fry morning glory dish. Although having never sampled this particular dish in Thailand, I believe it is quite infamously known as the 'flying morning glory' dish, due to the fact that it is often cooked quite vigourously over very high heat in the wok and then literally 'flung' onto the awaiting serving plate. Anyway, in the dish I have sampled in London, they include small whole cloves of unpeeled garlic (not sure if they have been roasted/fried beforehand). This adds a great flavour to the dish as long as you like garlic. Off the top off my head, I would say there was some soy (probably light) and some oyster in there too as well as a couple of fresh birds eye chillies. Rgds Rick

Also on The Cut is 'Meson Don Felipe' which knocks out great tapas in a a very Spanish and convivial atmosphere. Rick

Thanks a lot for your help guys. I will write a brief report for this thread when I get back. Rgds Rick

Wow, thanks for the great information. theakston, at the risk of turning this into a lonely planet travellers bulletin board, do you think I have a good balance of Islands. Considering I have 8 nights in Greece, the current plan is: Athens - 2 nights (unmovable due to Athenian friends) Naxos - 3 nights Paros - 3 nights Syros - 2 nights (unmovable due to Athenian friends) I'm not a real beach person (don't ask what I'm doing going to Greek Islands !), so my main priorities are relaxing, eating, sightseeing. A beach somewhere in the trip for a couple of days would satisfy my travelling partners requirements. Should I consider some of the Islands you mentioned (Koufinisia, Sifnos, Milos) ? Thanks Rick

Glenn, Can I ask why Naxos was the highlight ? Was that gastronomically or just all round ? Anil, don't worry I'm planning to avoid as many tourists as possible, if possible. I heard that July is when the high season really starts, so hopefully we will be back in London by then (return to London on the 19th June). Rgds Rick

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help. I am going on holiday to Greece in a months time. I land in Athens where I will be spending two nights before heading to a couple of the Greek Islands. My current plans are to go to Naxos, Paros and Syros. What I would really like to know though is anyone has any recommendations on restaurants in any of these places. I will be looking to stick to 'real' Greek food as much as I can if this helps. Also, if anyone thinks there are other more food oriented Greek Islands I should be heading for, then I would like to know. Thanks in advance, Rick

Kind of an improvised spur of the moment recipe. Marinaded the thinly sliced haloumi in combination of olive oil, lemon juice and fresh mint. Then griddled the cheese, and added to a bed of cos lettuce, tomato, radish and lebanese cucumbers. Finally dressed with some olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh mint. Kind of a middle eastern dish, Rick

Thanks, I'll take a look ! Rick

Hi, Wonder if anyone could help. I have been using a cast iron griddle for a while. While it has served me well, providing me with a great way to cook steaks/chops/fish, etc, I still find that occasionally, food will stick to the ridges of the griddle. The last time I used it, I was wanting some nicely griddled haloumi cheese for a salad, and the cheese kind of half stuck/half seared itself to the pan. Anyone have any tips on how to cook/care for a griddle ? Thanks Rick

Ok Miss J, First experiment will be the Strange Flavour Chicken. I will report back with results. Rgds Rick P.S. The boiled beef in a fiery sauce looks deadly from the picture. Is it really edible ?

Managed to get hold of some of these at the weekend at Borough Market in South London. They were on sale in bags branded as 'Szichuan Pepper from Fuschia Dunlop' at 'The Cool Chile Co.' stand. I was also hoping to pick up some heaven/sky facing chillies but they seem to have been all out of these for a while although they mentioned that some should be coming in soon. Anyway, the guy at the stall insisted that I chew one peppercorn husk to experience the full effect of the purchase. I must say I was truly amazed at the wealth of sensations that such a small spice can produce ! It started off with a general tingling which slowly spreads across your whole tongue and month. This eventually leads on to a full 'pins and needles'/anaestethic effect when your lips and tongue become fairly numb. Then slightly later a fairly strong taste and aroma of citrus/lemon emerges which eventually fades away only to leave you with the tingling/'pins and needles' effect which continues for around 10-15 minutes A quite amazing spice ! I am looking forward to cooking with it and am just trying to decide what I should attempt first. Does anyone have any particular favourites from the Fuschia Dunlop book which use this ingredient ? Thanks, Rick

Sorry to get to this thread a little late, but I also agree that Fuschia's book is very good ! Try the 'fish fragant aubergines', they are great ! And no peppercorns required ! I'm a fan of pork belly so I may have to try a dish based on this soon. The red-braised pork sounds like it may do the trick. Rgds Rick

Okay, I caved in and bought one. Made a couple of pizzas on Monday and they turned out pretty good ! One with tuna, capers, tomatoes and mozzarella, and another with anchovies, thyme, and mozzarella. I'm not sure the dough came out as well as it should, but I'll have to try some of the ideas posted here to see if it can be improved. Thanks, Rick

Does anyone have tips on making fresh coconut milk and cream, as used in Thai recipes ? I tried to make it once but was not too successful. Also, is there much of a difference between fresh cream/milk and a good Thai brand in a tin when used to make curries for instance ? Thanks Rick