A Little Bit of Lille

I'm an awful blogger. Really bad. But now I've realised the error of my ways (I'm lazy) and am beginning a new chapter in my blogging life story (a slightly less lazy one). Fact is, I hadn't eaten much that was interesting and so watching repeats of Gilmore girls became more appealing. A short break in Lille has rejuvenated me though so here's a blog about what I consumed there.  Starting with:

 Leffe Ruby

I'm not a big beer fan but as we were so close to Belgium I obviously had to have one. This was really tasty, if a little girly.

 Raclette

After walking around Lille for quite a while we came across a cheese restaurant.  We were very wary about going somewhere too touristy and this seemed quite busy with locals. There were obviously the usual French cheesy subjects on the menu such as Croque Monsieur in its various forms but the inclusion of charcuterie swung this for me. It was lovely although a pretty large portion for one (perhaps it was meant for two) and it went cold quickly. Good job I'm a fast eater!

 Elaborate Patisserie from Meert

Apparently this place is famous; I found loads of recommendations to go here before we crossed the Channel and yet when we asked someone where it was he seemed to have never heard of it. It may have been my awful French accent (although I spelt it out for him and he still didn't know it). After much fruitless wandering along the cobbles of Lille, we gave up and went to L'Office de Tourisme (that's Tourist Office for those of you that didn't do year 8 French). Oh they'd heard of it, it was very famous in Lille apparently... All that faff was worth the wait as the cakes here were absolutely divine.  These weren't just tasty sweet treats but works of art in chocolate, sugar and cream. Good job I've given up on my quest for a beach body this summer!

I had the above choux/macarons combo while my co-diners had:

 Caramel Choux Bun

 Elaborate Chocolatey Thing

An afternoon nap at the hotel (Balladins Lille-small, clean, basic, cheap and right in the centre of it all) had been earned by this point and after a freshen up we went downstairs to the next door bar.

 Beer Sampling at Le Trois Garçons

I'd read about this place as being a very good micro-brewery and it was by pure chance that our patisserie stuffed bodies could roll down the stairs to the bar. It actually seemed like a place more for eating than drinking as the only place to sit inside for just a drink was at the bar. The beers were nice enough but they were just too filling for me. Next time I'd be a bit more adventurous and go for the beer cocktails...

Dinner was on Rue de Gand which seemed to be the best road for selection of restaurants. We chose a restaurant which seemed to be dedicated to duck (my research on my return suggests it could be Domaine du Lintillac but I'm not entirely sure). My starter was:

 Foie Gras Pate

A nice pate but the side salad was unnecessary.

 Confit Duck with Fried Potatoes 

...and more of the salad! Aside from the salad overload the duck was cooked very well and the potatoes were lovely and garlicky. We didn't have pud as we were still recovering from Meert!

The next day involved a trip to the market which involved the purchase of A LOT of cheese. The speciality in Lille is Maroilles (which I pronounced incredibly incorrectly when asking for it-French fail) and as well as a bit of the cheese, we also brought home a Maroiles quiche. Before we embarked on our Wazemmes Market trip we stopped off for breakfast at a boulangerie nearby and had:

 Croissant and Cafe au Lait (that's milky coffee to you and me)

After a ridiculously long search for moules (a local speciality due to the proximity to Belgium) we ended up back on Rue de Gand and this time picked a random restaurant with a set lunch.

 Assiette de Charcuterie

Great but enough with the salad!

 Escalope de Poulet with a Maroilles Sauce

Another chance to sample the local cheese but yet more salad!!!! 

Tarte Tatin

A slightly soggy version of the classic-thankfully salad free!

After another shop, this time for cheapo wine in the massive Carrefour, we made our way back to London via Calais (a much cheaper way to travel than Eurostar and more convenient if you have a penchant for du vin!). Obviously a tiring journey such as this required a rejuvenating platter of cheese and pate before bed. Phew!

Blog Envy

The other day my friend sent me a link to a rival food blog which looked extremely beautiful. It's not that I'm competing (except I am very competitive) but when I mentioned the gorgeous pictures, my friend said 'that's something for you to aspire to'. Charming! But I'm not going to change. My blog is a bit like when you cook something that looks rubbish and tastes alright; it's rustic. Quite frankly my iPhone camera is not going to take the best photos in the world and there's no way that I could faff around with a proper camera while my food gets cold just so my blog looks pretty (unless someone offers to pay me a lot of money to do so!). You're stuck with the 'rustic' blog until further notice.

Sadly, no interesting eats this week despite my moaning last week:

 Babybel

Opened in the worst possible way. Disaster.

 Madras

This was also a disaster. I used a Pathak's curry paste but then put too much tomato in which left it not very curry-like.  So I added a load of other spices from the cupboard thus rendering the paste useless. It was pretty bland in the end. Disappointing.

 Leek, Asparagus and Parma Ham Tart

Remembered the leek this time.

 Carbonara

We saw Rick Stein making this on Saturday Kitchen and thought we'd give his version a go. It was pretty good although not as saucy as his looked.

 BBQ Burgers

We don't have a garden so we had to do this in a public space. Not really sure of the rules about this but we were very responsible and didn't burn the grass (unlike some other people around us and ourselves last year). No one seemed to be bothered and the police even drove past a couple of times so it must be alright...These were nice Taste the Difference Beef Burgers.

 Special K

To alleviate the guilt of the BBQ and the Chinese that followed that evening. Special K has magical slimming qualities (in my head) much like Diet Coke.

 More Tart

 More Carbonara

This time we used too much of the cooking water and it was a step away from soup. A happy medium between the two carbonaras needs to be found.

 Fab

One of the more virtuous of the ice lollies.

 Roll with Stuffed Pork and Mustard

 Muller Chocolate and Orange Yoghurt

One of my friends has decided chocolate and orange doesn't go together. Try telling Terry's/Dawn French (and now Muller) that.

 Sirloin Steak from The Talbot

I normally like their food but this was overcooked and as it was the most expensive thing on the menu I was pretty disappointed. 

 New Fave M&S Sandwich

 Pot Noodle Cup Noodle

I'm slightly ashamed to say that I really like these noodles the fact that this photo looks like something distressing has occurred in a public toilet bowl. 

 Scallops and Chorizo with Avocado Salad

Another old faithful but made with real Spanish chorizo from a friend of a friend's pig farm in Spain. 

 Plain Bagel

 Chocolate and Beetroot Muffin

My friend made these tasty treats which I believe were quite virtuous as there was no fat in the recipe. I'm sticking to that anyway.

 Jacket with a Tiny Bit of Cheese and Beans

Not great. It was one of those potatoes that tasted really potatoey; as if someone had cooked it with compost still surrounding it.

 Japanese Noodle Soup

 Papaya

 Toast

 Fish Finger and Salad Cream Roll

I'm not sure if this is bad for me but I'm going with no as Omega 3 is really good for your brains and stuff.

Homemade Chilli Con Carne

A nice hearty dinner. We added chocolate again which makes me feel cool and cheffy but doesn't seem to make much difference to the flavour. Perhaps it's too subtle for my impatiently burnt taste buds.

Deja Food

The reason for the above title is the unoriginality of my eatings over the past couple of days.  A combination of leftovers and cheap lunches have left my consumption looking bland and unoriginal. Sadly this is the case but I'm hoping the weekend brings more interesting culinary delights.

 Asparagus Risotto

With the addition of mushrooms this time.

 Weetabix

 Prawn Cocktail, Avocado and Tomatoes

Quite a nice, if slightly basic, lunch with some Krispbreads on the side.

 Teriyaki Salmon Stir Fry

I don't really care for stir fry; it's not filling and doesn't excite me.  The salmon was nice (although we burnt it a little) but I wasn't satisfied so we had to follow dinner with:

Pancakes

 M&S Chicken and Chorizo Sandwich

I think this has replaced my old favourite of Chicken and Salami which has disappeared of the shelves. Stop doing Limited Editions!

 Rump steak, Wedges and Portabella Mushroom

Probably could have done with some greens here...

 Beans on Toast

 As Above

 Lamb Kebabs with Greek Salad

 Egg Mayo Sandwich

 Leftovers

The kebabs do not look appealing here. They weren't that great cold either as they were slightly more solid...

Parma Ham and Tomato Panini

Lemon Drizzle Cake

I made this today with the intention of eating it tomorrow when friends come round, but it's only right I taste it tonight to make sure it's ok for them... It's my first ever attempt at Lemon Drizzle so hopefully it's a triumph!

Expensive Taste of London

There have been a lot of mixed reviews of the Taste of London event so I thought I'd put my tuppence in.  I went on Thursday evening as a birthday treat from my friend and was very excited to be there despite the waterlogged Regent's Park as the venue. In what other place can you sample the delights of several Michelin starred chefs within four hours without remortgaging your house? Don't get me wrong, it is on the pricey side, particularly some of the more 'well-known' celebrity chefs, but if you go ready to spend a few quid you should come out relatively happy.  As mine was a present, I didn't have to pay for the ticket but I do think that as this merely gains you entry, £22 is a bit steep.   Reduce it to a tenner and people will be a lot happier to splash the cash on the food (and not forgetting the copious amounts of drink) once they're inside-surely the point of the event and more lucrative for the exhibitors. Unfortunately, as people show up in their thousands despite the hefty price tag, it seems a price reduction is very unlikely to be on the cards.

The range of food there was wonderful.  I sampled:

 Ham and Feta Salad from York and Albany

This cost £5 or £6 and despite tasting nice it was really nothing special. I could do this at home in about 3 minutes and my portions would be 3 times the size of this. Really disappointing from Gordon Ramsay-I'm pretty sure he could afford to knock a few quid off the price. 

 Black Pudding Scratchings

I'm not sure what these were actually called but they were complimentary from the Estrella area (along with a free half pint and an anchovy bruschetta).  Very tasty and went well with the beer.

 Cheese on Toast with Truffle

We bought this from the truffle stall and in terms of the portion size was probably the best value for money. I'm not sure how I feel about truffle; I think I like it but it has an odd earthy taste which mere mortals like me don''t have much opportunity to get used to. Perhaps I should invest in a pig that can truffle hunt for me on a whim so that I get a taste for them. I'm sure it would be cheaper than just buying truffles from a supplier and very easy to arrange.

 Chicken Thing from Le Gavroche

I clearly can't remember the names of what I ate; perhaps I should make a note of these things in the future. I'm in two minds about this dish as although it was tasty (especially the mushrooms) it was a miserly portion for the price and my friend really wasn't impressed. I am slightly biased as I love Michel Roux Jnr and as he was there (I got a photo of him too) my allegiance to him was even stronger. I also had this:

 Saucisson from Roux at The Landau

This was really good. Decent sized portion, full of favour and a lovely texture. If I had any doubt in Monsieur Roux's talents, this dish blew them out the water. He was also rushing back and forth checking on the food and posing for a trillion pictures-what a lovely man!

 Fancy Hotdog from Gauthier

I was a bit wary of wasting our Crowns on a hotdog but boy am I glad we did. This was absolutely gorgeous but I can't for the life of me remember what was in it-perhaps I should have spent less Crowns on cocktails!

The Famous £8 Scotch Egg

I can't remember where this was from but there was a lot of scandal over this on Twitter. It was nice enough but I do agree-£4 for half an egg is slightly ridiculous. If it was an ostrich egg they'd be forgiven.

Overall I had a great time at Taste of London-I'll just make sure I save up for next year (I really would like a visit to the Secret Garden!).

My other ingestions this week included:

 Lasagne

I made a right mess of dishing this up!

 Apricot Tarte Tatin

I made this to use up some apricots. It worked pretty well for a first attempt at tatin but I remembered I don't like cooked apricots that much. Whoops!

 Pasturma

 Baked Camembert

 Meze Mangal Meze

 Meze Mangal Beyti Kebab

 Pret Bacon and Egg Roll

The bacon tasted like metal. Wasted calories.

 Yorkshire Provender Soup

There seems to be a big fuss about these soups but this was pretty bland for the price. I doubt I'll buy this flavour again if I buy the brand again at all.

 Muller Light

 Toast

 Jerk Chicken, Rice and Corn

We use Walkerswood jerk which has a powerful chilli kick and deep smoky flavour. Very good dinner.

 M&S Ham and Egg Roll (my new fave)

 Toast

 Strawberries

I may go into mourning when the season ends.

 Homemade Mackerel Pate and Salad

 Barley Mow Sausages and Mash

I placed an order with my Somerset dwelling friend and they were good. We had a mixture of Sundried Tomato ones and Chorizo flavoured sausages-both good but Sundried still win for me. My addiction continues..

 Toast

 Cheese on Toast

The cheese was past it's best before date and tasted like it. Bad lunch.

 Chicken Pattie and Cherry Tomatoes

I had a craving...

 Lamb Rogan Josh

We used another of Anjum Anand's new, though yet to be released, sauces and it was good. Like making your own curry from scratch but without the faff. Made more rotis too-my new favourite thing to make,

Poached Egg on Toast

 Chicken in Pitta with Peri Peri Chips

My chicken was cold but luckily they brought me a fresh one. Guilty Sunday pleasure.

Japanese Soup

As you can see I ate loads of toast this week.  This was mainly due to buying a massive Tiger Loaf on Sunday and needing to use it up. The guy on the checkout in Tesco said that Tiger bread smells like tuna and wondered if it tasted like tuna too, much to my friends' amusement. To be honest though, it does smell a bit like tuna. Thankfully it tastes like bread.