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Hakka Moon – A Local Pan-Asian Delight
Just a short stroll to the corner of our road brings the warm glow of Hakka Moon into view, our local pan-Asian restaurant that has quickly become a cherished spot in the neighbourhood. If those inviting lights aren’t on, it’s a sure sign they’re closed for the evening. Since it opened a few years ago, we’ve been frequent visitors, and it’s been a fantastic addition to the local parade of shops. Recently, after a few weeks away, we were craving some flavourful oriental cuisine, and Hakka Moon was the perfect choice. To start, we couldn’t resist ordering one of our go-to dishes: the Dim Sum Platter. It’s always a highlight,…
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Fabulous Italian Food at Rosemarino
We recently enjoyed a wonderful night out, which began with a special dinner at the highly recommended local Italian restaurant, Rosmarino. Melanie made a reservation for the two of us, and we decided to treat ourselves to a comfortable and convenient Uber ride to the restaurant. To our surprise, our driver turned out to be none other than our neighbour! It was a great opportunity to catch up during the short ride, which took less than ten minutes. When we arrived, the warm and welcoming staff at Rosmarino promptly showed us to our table, and we settled in for a memorable dining experience. Irresistible Starters at Rosmarino We kicked things…
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Teir 3 Festivities
Oh dear! We had a very nice table booked for lunch tomorrow at Michelin starred Chez Bruce, www.chezbruce.co.uk, but sadly Her Majesty’s government announced Covid-19 Teir 3 restrictions from midnight tonight. But, situation partially saved by our friend Rick Gibbs, chef and proprietor of Ricks Dining Room www.ricksdiningroom.co.uk. Rick called us anticipating that we’d be up for s pre-Christmas feast. So we’re off to Rick’s tonight for a seasonal slap-up meal. And then who knows – probably home cooking until next year.
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Lunch with John
I met up with my son John on Monday for a spot of lunch in downtown Tooting. John is quite the foodie and a talented cook. He also works in a food lover’s paradise – Borough Market near London Bridge – where he and his brother run Whirld, a unique fudge shop. I took John on a quick tour of the two Tooting markets – one, somewhat predictably, called Tooting Market, and the other, Broadway Market. These two market arcades sit side by side in Tooting Broadway, and despite having visited both of them countless times, I still find it easy to mix them up. Even though John was born…
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Celebrating being 21
Our youngest is 21 next weekend and proposes celebrating with his university mates in Brighton. So as parents we’ve had to opt for the weekend before to celebrate his coming of age with him. I had already booked a table for eight on Saturday at our favourite, Tota in downtown Tooting – where, incidentally I decided to book in person over a fish finger sandwich and an espresso. Ben pitched up Friday night and we thought we’d nip out in advance of the big celebration for a quiet Friday evening spot of grub. Local Italian restaurant Sette Bello seemed the ideal choice. I had melanzana alla parmigiano to start followed…
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Curry Night
Melanie and I always go out for something to eat on a Friday and what better way is there than to start the weekend with a curry. Last night we visited our local Bengali Restaurant – Samrat. We’ve been going here for a very long time – I think I must have made my first visit in my twenties, which is a long time ago. It’s also where Melanie and I met up for our first date. Samrat has all the usual Bengali favourites and a few house specials always served to a high standard and we are always greeted with a big welcome. I don’t drink alcohol these days…
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The Three Meal Chicken
Melanie and I returned from another week of overseas hedonism and body abuse last weekend and decided it was time to start (again) returning to some sort of normal eating pattern. One way I like to do this is to buy a medium chicken and roast it. For meal one, we sit down to a nice simple meal of roast chicken and salad or some steamed vegetables. Next day, once the chicken has cooled I strip the chicken of any remaining meat along with any meat juices I’ve saved from the pan, leaving me with all the bones and a stripped chicken carcass. The chicken carcass goes in a large…
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The Riverford Organic Vegetable Box
It’s Thursday morning and our Riverford fruit and veg box has landed on our doorstep. The contents of this box can have a bearing on what our meals are going to be in the forthcoming week. It’s always a surprise as Riverford try to source what’s in season from the U.K. But that’s not always possible, for example, I can see we’ve got some nice oranges this week. There’s also French beans, some fabulous looking broccoli, some corn on the cob, carrots, onions and apples.