Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Roast Duck
Feast your eyes on this magnificence: Roast duck in some sort of glaze. It can be found close to the Bayswater tube stop at a place called "The Four Seasons." I don't believe there is a relation to the giant hotel chain.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
The Universal Fried Doughball
Liz once mentioned to me that she was convinced every culture around the world has its own version of fried dough. The Cameroonian take on the cross-cultural doughball is known as the 'poufpouf', and is a wonderfully addictive one, which will likely cause me to gain 10 pounds before I leave. Crispy on the outside, soft and doughy on the inside, poufpoufs are sold on the street everywhere, and are typically served with beans ( this combination is referred to as 'atchoomo' in Pidgin). You can eat them right at the stall, perching on a bench with the bowl in your lap, or they'll package them 'to go', shoveling the heavy beans into a black plastic bag, reminiscent of a Glad commercial.
Poufpoufs simmering in hot oil.
Poufpoufs simmering in hot oil.
The roasted fish I posted about earlier, with cassava.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Smells good, looks…
This has to be one for the weird food category.
Just getting back from Uni, I walked into my flat to be greeted by a delicious smell coming from a covered pot simmering away in the kitchen. Such a situation isn’t rare now that there are two Chinese girls in the flat, who cook from scratch nearly every day.
But intrigued by what smelt so good, I decided to take a peek into the pot.
There were about 20 ducks feet being boiled up with a mix of spices.
Apparently it’ll make a nice soup after 24 hours of simmering, and the feet won’t be recognisable.
Just getting back from Uni, I walked into my flat to be greeted by a delicious smell coming from a covered pot simmering away in the kitchen. Such a situation isn’t rare now that there are two Chinese girls in the flat, who cook from scratch nearly every day.
But intrigued by what smelt so good, I decided to take a peek into the pot.
There were about 20 ducks feet being boiled up with a mix of spices.
Apparently it’ll make a nice soup after 24 hours of simmering, and the feet won’t be recognisable.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Gibsons/Hugos - Chicago
If you have money and want yourself a fine steak, you need to make an appearance at Gibsons or Hugos in Chicago. Just make sure you make a reservation because its a tough table in this town. Gibsons is known for its steak, Hugos for its seafood. The beauty is that the two share the same kitchen, so you can get steak at Hugos and Seafood at Gibsons.
After a lesson in Alaskan salmon, king crab, halibut, and two-pound lobster tails, I was able to fight my cravings and focus on the steak menu. Steak menus in the US are much different than their counterparts in Canada. My favourite steakhouse in Calgary, Nick's Steakhouse, focuses on ribeyes, sirloins, and New York steaks. Hugos/Gibsons represents the filet mignon, porterhouse, t-bone, and London broil.
To my astonishment, the Big Porterhouse was worth more than my life and weighed a ridiculous 48oz. In comparison, the regular porterhouse was 22oz. Everything truly is bigger in the US when it comes to food. I settled on the regular porterhouse because, let's be honest, a 48-ounce steak is something you need to train for.
Added to meaty feast was frog legs. It was my first time trying the famous appendages that supposedly "taste like chicken." I can definitely understand where that came from, but I'd give frog legs the advantage due to the lower fat content.
Moving on to the steak, it was like chewing butter. The flavour was intoxicating; no barbacue sauce required. Mmmm.... I'm not sure what else to say. Maybe I could've done with the 48-ouncer.
After a lesson in Alaskan salmon, king crab, halibut, and two-pound lobster tails, I was able to fight my cravings and focus on the steak menu. Steak menus in the US are much different than their counterparts in Canada. My favourite steakhouse in Calgary, Nick's Steakhouse, focuses on ribeyes, sirloins, and New York steaks. Hugos/Gibsons represents the filet mignon, porterhouse, t-bone, and London broil.
To my astonishment, the Big Porterhouse was worth more than my life and weighed a ridiculous 48oz. In comparison, the regular porterhouse was 22oz. Everything truly is bigger in the US when it comes to food. I settled on the regular porterhouse because, let's be honest, a 48-ounce steak is something you need to train for.
Added to meaty feast was frog legs. It was my first time trying the famous appendages that supposedly "taste like chicken." I can definitely understand where that came from, but I'd give frog legs the advantage due to the lower fat content.
Moving on to the steak, it was like chewing butter. The flavour was intoxicating; no barbacue sauce required. Mmmm.... I'm not sure what else to say. Maybe I could've done with the 48-ouncer.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Cambodian Street Goodness
Friday, October 05, 2007
Mmmm, fish eyes and cow intestine...
Well, I had my first experiences with Cameroonian food! The first meal I ate here consisted of a roasted fish, cassava and onions, served with a spicy sauce on the side. In Cameroon, you do not waste food, and the locals really clean their plates, by clean I mean they even eat part of the fish's spine. I suppose I got off easily when I was told by the German intern that I had to eat the head, since she had done it a few days earlier. There is really not much meat on the head, other than the gills and the cheek, and of course the eye. I dipped mine in copious amounts of sauce to avoid thoughts of "I'm eating an eye" as I chewed that rubbery organ for an extended period of time. Despite the unappealing eye, the rest of the food was really quite good, the cassava was chewy but not unpleasantly so, and the sauce was spicy, yet flavourful (when used in moderation). The fish itself was very roasted to perfection, with a crispy, spicy skin, that almost reminded me bacon in some places. Washed back with an enormous beer, a very satisfying meal. One to reflect upon while eating cow intestine a few days later, but more on that at a later date... I will upload pictures as soon as I can
Thursday, October 04, 2007
When in Bosnia, Eat at these Places!
I don't know what y'all think, but that is a big steak in the bottom picture. I would recommend downloading the larger versions and zooming in to view each individual dish.
Compliments of my friend, Emily.
When in Bosnia, Eat This!
I think Blanka made a post to this effect a long, long time ago, but they look so good that I think they should be posted again. I don't know what that white stuff is or what's inside...maybe Blanka could hazard a guess?
These photos are compliments of my friend, Emily, who lives in Prague, but took a short trip to Bosnia. Hopefully she'll be on the food blog soon.
Monday, October 01, 2007
If not for the beer, come to Prague for the Sausage
Look at the size of that one.
Mmmmm.....Prague is full of great sausages. And there is no better place, that I know of, to get them than right at St. Wenceslas Square. There are these vendors with like 8 different types of sausage, all big and filling. And for pretty cheap here. Once again, I may have to defer to Blanka for both names and the factual integrity of this post. Blanka? (where would I be without you?)
The second pic is from a great, and I mean great, beer hall called U Fleku. If you are in Prague, go there...at least once. The beer is sensational and you get your food in seconds. Tasty.
