Quick and easy supper 47

If ever I wake up in the middle of the night and really fancy something, I just pop downstairs and raid my secret stash of chocolate in the larder. No, hang on, I don't have any stairs and I don't have a larder, do I? Anyway, this quick dinner was brown rice, field mushrooms, a bag of rocket, garlic, onions (fried with thyme) and cheddar. The nuttiness of the rice works well with the mature cheddar I reckon, and you have to hope that the rocket adds some kinda healthy element.

Cafe Corfu

After we had had a hot tip about the place, Number7 and I went to Cafe Corfu in Camden on Sunday evening. The tip had suggested that it offered seriously good Greek food in a somewhat idiosyncratic atmosphere and I have to say that it didn't disappoint on either count. Starting with the rather less important question of the ambiance, let me say that we were quite charmed by the Disco Classix (or similar) CD which accompanied the first half of our meal, the George Michael which followed, and then some even more authentically Greek tunes. Apparently they have belly dancers on Fri and Sats and I can imagine it's a really fun place to come with a group. Still, I was glad that we were there on a quiet night because it was the seriousness of the food which had whetted our appetite, and it is damned good. We began by sharing some halloumi and a slice of creamy spinach filo pie (I'm sure the Greeks have a better way of putting that): the halloumi was extremely thick and delicious, and, as the photos show, very well griddled, while the pie was one of the single yummiest things I've eaten all year. Mmmmm, spinach, and mmmmm, as Number7 observed, really well-made filo pastry. It was quite hard to compete with that, and the excellent 'pitta', which was lovely griddled flatbread, but the mains were also very good. N7 had a lamb dish which she noted was a very well plated (a rare meat photo for this blog) and my stuffed peppers also looked v nice. They weren't an exceptional dish, but they were very tasty indeed and about the nicest stuffed peppers I've ever had in a restaurant. For pudding N7 had baklava and I went for honey puffballs, or somesuch, and both were vg. Unfortunately they came with chocolate ice cream rather than the advertised yoghurt and honey, but we shall know to be insistent next time. Next time we will also have a clearer idea of the place and its menu and a resto that ranks A- in my book may rise still higher. It's not cheap, but then why should really excellent food be cheap? God, that spinach was good. Looking at the photo again, I realise that it also came with delicious yoghurt and this was another really good thing about the place, because the accompaniments with all the dishes were well thought-out and really added to the eating experience. N7 suggested going back there to eat mezze style and I believe this to be a very good idea. Oh, and the photos also remind me that the peppers came with some yummy feta.

Ice cold in Autumn

Hampstead's charms this autumn are really plentiful because the colour of the trees is really magical or, I guess, after today's rain, was really magical. Still, Sunday walks can still finish at Kenwood house with the reward of a Marine Ices ice cream. This time I went for chocolate and it is a high compliment indeed to say that it tasted really like a good chocolate mousse.

Cinammon futures

I had a hot tip last night that the Nordic Bakery on Golden Square in Piccadilly is the place where one can buy London's best cinammon buns. c.3pm today I was there and... the man in front of me bought the last bun. Well, I could have waited for another batch to be baked but I decided to go back another day as it seemed like it would be nicer to eat in there anyhow (though apparently the coffee is the strongest in London). I caught a glimpse of the bun and it looked good but can it really beat a Cinnabon? Ah hae ma doots.

Don't let the funk mess with your menu selection

SoS for lunch and I was so into all the funky house and the general vibe that I sillily ordered the bean burger with houmous and baba ghanoush again, when I know that it is a rather mediocre thing with bland approximations of real Middle-Eastern mezze. Ah well, next time I will remember how good the veggie breakfast is, and I shan't complain because the chips were as delish as ever and any place that plays spacey trance in the morning at a volume which is loud but which still allows for conversation is A-OK with me.

Language games

I believe that the verb used in Arabic for shisha is that which is also used for drinking, so on that basis can I present my new shisha - or rather, my feet, the shisha coals and Manhattan in the background. It's a dinky number called a 'pumpkin shisha' because of its shape, so I guess there's kind of another food reference there too. Since acquiring the shisha on Thursday evening (the need was urgent because I had to forget a two-hour grilling I'd had at a philosophy of history seminar), it has seen much action, though tonight it must lie unused as I am feeling a tad fragile after perhaps one too many smokes and one two many wines last night (happy birthday OB1!).

Lazyboy healthy pudding

I needed to make a quick, healthy and substantial pudding for the Namba King and myself the other night, and I opted for something which was really not very me at all, but which served as a reminder that making something you think will be a bit rough or bland can sometimes be a good idea! The picture tells the story really: Tesco's maple and pecan crunch cereal (we get through 2.5 boxes a week!), some black cherry yoghurt, sliced banana, satsuma segments, and a little lime juice over the top. I shan't pretend that this is a super-moreish dish, but I'm coming to think that it's quite a good standby when you need a pudding which is filling but not too unhealthy.