Boston Tea Party

Can't really beat Boston Tea Party for a lunchtime treat. It has local food, inventive menus and good prices - what's not to admire about that?

In the picture you can see sweet potato chips (you have to try them to believe them, and they're healthy too!) and a veggie burger, which was bean and beetroot - a nice mix. The halloumi, sauce and salad (which isn't in the picture unfortunately) add up to make a breathtaking meal. The only issue? There's no Boston Tea Party in Cardiff!!!

Let's hope they open one soon!

Alex.

(had an Easter break, but I'll be back to posting now)

Fika

Vegetarian Food Studio

For my first restaurant review I couldn't hope for a better place than the Vegetarian Food Studio, a real gem in Cardiff's culinary world. I've been there twice, with the last visit coming on Friday for my anniversary. And it didn't let us down, with warm service, great food and prices which are unlikely to break anyone's bank.

We chose a 'Thali', a cheap and cheerful dish which gives you a mixture of different flavours and foods to really whet the appetite (it also allows you not to have to decide between dishes on the huge menu). It was the same dish I had the first time and there's nothing really to add apart from the fact that even when they say it's not hot, it really is!

To calm the senses down we also ordered the Vegan Mango Smoothie (Lassie) which they offer, and is probably the nicest drink I've ever had the luck to try. It's inescapable richness, coupled with the way it smoothes your throat after the hot curry really makes the dining experience something special. I couldn't recommend it more =)

Soufflé

I'm always caught between two minds: first, I think that I can cook well and second, I think that there are so many more things that I haven't cooked yet that I couldn't possibly say I cook well. Well, yesterday was one of those days where I went for something new: Soufflé. It worked pretty well, I don't have an electric whisk so I had to suffer while beating the egg whites, but it all turned out well in the end, so here's to new recipes, new ideas and great food!

Dinner

Yesterday my partner asked me to make something new... Well, never one to shirk a challenge I thought about it and came up with this: A tomato, bean and olive pie, seasoned with cumin and herbs, with organic cheddar infused mash on top, served with roasted chantenay carrots. It wasn't new as such, but the way I served it was. We've recently acquired these beautiful baby blue 'le creuset' ramekins and this was the first time I used them for a main meal - it looks a lot better than just plonking the pie down on the dish!


INGREDIENTS

One large potato
Some Chantenay carrots
Half a tin of tomatoes
Olives
Beans, the variety of your choice
Cheddar cheese
Herbs & Spices

RECIPE

Peel the potato, cut into cubes and set to boil for 20 minutes. Meanwhile put half the tin of tomatoes in a pan together along with the beans, olives and seasoning of your choice, slowly heating through. Wash the carrots and put in a dish along with a generous helping of olive oil and some seasoning. Put the oven on, around 200c, to warm up and pour the water out of the potato pan once cooked. To mash the potatoes, add some pepper, some grated cheese and some olive oil and then mash quickly. Meanwhile place the now cooked tomato sauce into the bottom of the ramekins, before covering with the mash, trying to make as conical shape as possible! Place the ramekins and carrots in the preheated oven for 20 minutes and serve! A beautiful meal, and so refreshingly simple.

Melindros

So I finally made Melindros...

Can there possibly be a greater pleasure?

Brecwast

Brecwast means breakfast in Welsh and has always been a word which has come to me before the English, even though I may not be a fluent Welsh speaker. It signifies not only the dawn of a new day full of hope, but also an opportunity to cook, to enjoy oneself with the idea of creating new dishes and new ideas i.e. a cook's dream. Although I always have a very similar brecwast - porridge - it never stays the same, with the fruit changing with the seasons and the milk switching from diary product to soya and back without difficulty. In spring I start to divest myself of the hot drinks and instead concentrate on juices to go with the daffodils that sit upon my table. If every day is a new day it's good to start the day as best you can, with good food, vibrant colour and a positive attitude towards what one must achieve in the coming hours.