mccurry

every mcdonalds has something unique. here in the UK, they deep fry their apple pies. what else did i discover? they have a sweet curry dipping sauce. my british friends introduced me to it when we ordered some french fries.

it was a nice curry sauce to compliment the salty fries. a bit of sweet with the savory.

now, when i go to mcdonalds, i always ask for curry sauce. and i don't have to pay for my sauce.

the perfect omelette

i had a few girlfriends visiting me from the east coast. we're all definitely foodies, so it was a challenge to find a place in england that might really "wow" them. one of them had mentioned la duree, so i decided to book a table for lunch there.

this was definitely our one fancy meal, and it was worth it. i ordered the black truffle omelette. the waiter asked me, "how would you like your omelette cooked? runny, medium, firm?" i decided to go for medium. i've never had someone ask me how i want an omelette cooked. the dish itself may not look impressive, but the omelette was cooked perfect. it was perfectly medium. not too soft and definitely not overdone. no browning at all. how do they do that? probably b/c they're french.

with the first bite, i immediately tasted the deliciousness of the black truffles. how does this little piece of fungus give such an aromatic flavor? amazing. absolutely amazing.

maybe i'll be able to return there again one day.

craving corean

today i was really craving korean food, but i didn't want to have to go out and buy ingredients. then i remembered that i had all the ingredients to make duk bokki (spicy rice cake). for those who aren't familiar with this dish, it's rice cakes combined with sliced fish cake, bulgogi (marinated beef), onions seasoned with red pepper paste.

here's my recipe:
2 cups of sliced rice cake (soaking in water for at least 30 min)
1/2 pound of bulgogi meat
1 onion sliced
1 cup of sliced fish cake
1 tbsp korean red pepper paste
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp soy sauce

1. first cook the bulgogi meat with the sliced onions.
2. once the bulgogi meat is done, add the fish cakes.
3. add the red pepper paste (you can add more if you want it more spicy).
4. drain the rice cakes (but save the water). add the rice cakes along with about 1/4 cup of the water.
5. add the sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce.
6. let it simmer until the rice cake is soft.
7. taste to see if you need to add more of sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce or red pepper paste.

this is how i learned to make it from my mom. it's a bit on the sweeter side, but i like it that way. you can season it how you want it.

i had enough for 2 more meals which i can use for lunch this week. i'm sure i'll get a number of questions about my lunch when i bring this in.

pancake day

in the UK, today is known as shrove tuesday but more importantly pancake day. in the states we would refer to this day as fat tuesday. it is the day before lent where people used up foods like eggs, milk and sugar before the fasting season of the 40 days of lent.

at work, during our usual afternoon tea break, the dining hall prepared pancakes for everyone. (here in the UK, when people refer to pancakes, they are referring to what i would call crepes.) the british way is to eat them with lemon juice and sprinkled with sugar.

the night before i had decided to make more pancakes for dinner. however since my housemate is on a gluten-free diet, i altered my usual recipe with gluten free flour. it turned out really nicely. my first time changing an ingredient to gluten free. i invited another friend over to enjoy pancakes with me. i made a lot assuming i would have leftovers, but both of us must have been hungry because we ate them all.

i think i could keep practicing this tradition of pancake day!

here is my recipe for pancakes (crepes).

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp butter melted

with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat together the egg, egg yolk, sugar, flour and 1/4 cup of milk until the mixture is well blended. beat in the melted butter and remaining milk to form a smooth batter. sieve the batter if necessary. refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

drop a small ladle of batter on a lightly oiled skillet and quickly spread the batter from the center in a circular motion. cook until golden brown on the edges then flip over to lightly brown the other side. remove from the pan, stacking them on a plate.

enjoy with savory or sweet fillings.

no photos please

today, polly and i went to the wolseley in london to have a birthday brunch in honor of polly. while we were waiting for our table, i was about to take out my camera to take a photo of the chandelier inside. before i even got the camera out of its case, the hostess came to me and said, "no photos please."

i was a bit taken back. she was a bit stern with her warning (i think she could have been a bit nicer.). so sadly, i have no photos to go with this post, but i did feel that i should blog about this place. why? it was a really beautifully decorated restaurant.

it was once a car showroom that was turn into barclays bank, and then in 2003 it was turned into a restaurant.

to start off we split the honey pecan twist. oooh.. very sweet which complimented my cup of americano coffee. i just ordered the eggs benedict, nothing fancy. but the true test... will the yolk ooze out when i cut into it? yup... the yellow center spilled over the moment the knife broke the skin.

hmm.. i still haven't decided it if i would return. the jury is still out on that one.