T(r)ips around the world - London's best ethnic restaurants

* * * 

For a culinary crusader London's ethnic restaurants are a treasure trove. Here are my favourites!

* * * 

London is one of my old stomping grounds and a place that will forever have a special place in my heart. 

Though, while a city of endless possibilities (especially on a Saudi gazillionaire's budget), England is not exactly a place where people travel for foodie feasts. Unless, of course, you're a culinary crusader like me and travel everywhere in search of food.

Its long colonial imperial history and substantial immigrant population make it, however, a brilliant destination for foodie travels around the world. 

While some of them do offer Michelin-standard fine dining, London's ethnic restaurants tend to be both authentic and surprisingly affordable. 

London's Brick Lane - curry lover's paradise

Many immigrant communities have settled in certain parts of London, which often translates to a hub of restaurants of particular ethnic origin.

One of the most famous ones is Brick Lane in East London, populated by South Asians (closest tube stations Aldgate East or Liverpool Street). 

The portion sizes are often so generous that one dish feeds two. Do note though that all the pappadums and other extras they so eagerly bring over tend to cost extra.

While every single one of them proudly advertizes themselves as the purveyors of the best curry in the city, the quality is rather, well, varied. One steady (though slightly pricier) favourite is  Dishoom (with 4 different branches).

Beigel Bake - piece of New York in London

Brick Lane is also home to Beigel Bake, a delightful piece of Jewish New York. A popular place, so be prepared queue (and be elbowed by your fellow diners and yes, occasionally shouted at by the staff). Luckily this local institution is open 24/7.

Perfectly chewy bagels yet surprisingly cheap (salmon and cream cheese for instance is your for mere £1.60!). Do go for the salted beef. Do.

Oy,vey - London's Jewish soul food classics

If you fancy an in-depth expedition into the heart of Jewish cuisine, head over to North London's Golder's Green, popular among the Jews.

In Central London you'll get some of that feeling at Monty's Deli.

Best Turkish food in London

If you crave Turkish food, your best bet is North London and Harringay Green Lanes region (stations: Manor House or Turnpike Lane).

In case you're not up for the travel,  don't you worry: Islington's Antepliler (tube: Angel) is the home of best pides and lahmacuns this side of Bosphorus. 

What ever you order, make sure you'll leave some room for their baclavas.

Middle Eastern food in the middle of London

If, like me, you love Middle Eastern food, you're in for some serious treats. Lebanese Yalla Yalla is good and affordable place for meze overload. 

Try lahmacun's Lebanese cousin arayes and chicken liver with pomegranate sauce.

My old home, Edgware Road is full of Lebanese restaurants too and another easy destination because of its central location. Al Arez for instance is a familiar, good no-frills place.

A brilliant place for sampling the flavours of Eastern Mediterranean is Bib Gourmand-awarded Palomar, located near Leicester Square (reservation recommended, though bar also accommodates walk-ins). 

It's hardly surprising I love them as much as I do - their sister restaurant MachneYuda in Jerusalem is one of my favourite restaurants in the whole of Israel. 

Ah, how about some Afghan food?

If you're in the mood for something a little bit more exotic, you should try Afghan cooking, such as Ariana in Kilburn (bus no 16).

Namesake to its Manhattan-based sister restaurant this establishment does not serve any alcohol, but operates a BYOB policy (no, that's not "Bring Your Own Bomb squad"). 

And what to have here? Aushaks, meat or vegetable-filled dumplings.

London's Chinatown - dim sum and then some

London't Chinatown settled in its current location in Soho back in 1970's and has become a popular tourist sight - during Chinese New Year celebrations you can't even breathe here.

My recommendation is to skip the main street Gerrard Street and head over to adjacent Lisle Street's dim sum heaven. Dim sums are usually served daily until 5pm. My favourite is Young Cheng (popular among actual Chinese people, too) where you might have to queue, especially around lunch time. 

Extensive selection (anyone for some marinated duck tongue?). All the dishes €4 or under, so even a lunch for 2 (with beers) will set you back less than €40.

In London's Japanese restaurants ramen reigns supreme

Japanese restaurants aren't gathered in any particular area, but owing to massive popularity of ramen they keep popping up everywhere.

Some places cook their stock for 3 days, some compete with the elaborate process of making their own noodles, so there's something for everyone. One tiny and extremely popular place worth recommending is Kanada-Ya.

Nobu is a world famous gourmet restaurant where, after the hype of initial years, its possible to get a reservation rather easily.

Another place for those in the market for a bit more contemporary take on things is Roka. 

The Aldwych-based restaurant is located smack in the middle of London's Theatreland, which means that early in the evening they serve affordably priced pre theatre-menus.

African food in London

The african restaurants in London tend to specialize in the delights of Northern and Eastern Africa. If you like Ethiopian food, give Eritrean a go, too. 

A good place for this is Mosob in Westbourne Park (close to Notting Hill).

Street food festivals bring the whole world together

London is also home to several street food festivals which offer the chance to sample different cuisines. South America and Asia tend to be particularly well represented. Vegans don't have to go hungry either. 

Urban Food Fest, held in Shoreditch each Saturday, is one of the best ones and one of the reasons why this eclectic neighbourhood (with its run-down bohemian vibe) has become one of my favourites. 

Best of the British - from pie & mash to Michelin stars

Ok, so what ever they might say about the British food, there's time and place for that, too. 

Located in the heart of Covent Garden, Battersea Pie Station is a must for anyone like me; always ready to worship the Holy Trinity of pie, mash and gravy.  

Oh, and make mine a Winstone.

And no trip to London would be complete without a leisurely pub lunch. Fulham's Harwood Arms even has a Michelin star! (Want to feast on a budget? Check out their lunch). 

Reservation practically mandatory.

Duck & Waffle is another great place which combines robust English traditions with continental influences (Foie Gras Crème Brûlée, anyone?). Worth the trip for its spectacular views alone (courtesy of the restaurant's location on 40th floor).

And the best part? Open 24/7!

How about it? Anyone else hungry? What are your London favourites?

___________________


ANYONE FOR SECONDS?
  

          

SHARING IS CARING!

Jewish penicillin - Jiddishe Mama's chicken soup with noodles and matzo balls (kosher, gluten-free)

* * * 

Every Jewish mother has their own version of this chicken and noodle soup - the cure-all-ailments-wonder.

* * * 

As the long-awaited spring sun finally graced Scandinavia with its rays, we honestly thought the worst was behind us. Temperatures, soaring higher and higher each day lulled us into thinking we'd survived the most critical period without any casualties.

Summer was on its way and with it our happiness could continue as one endless stream of care-free summer days and picnics. 

Oh, how wrong we were.

Only a couple of days after our return from the Champagne cruise the dark clouds started to gather in the horizon. First my throat started acting out, though luckily proving to be a false alarm. But then... then all Hell broke loose. The worst possible scenario came true. My eyes are welling up even as I'm trying to write this. 

Man flu. 

The most fatal of diseases got the best of Gothenburger, a professional soldier; my mean, lean killing machine. Ruthlessly the contraction stripped him bare of his highly honed survival strategies, regressing him to a 3-year-old toddler. 

"Hurts. Feels bad. I think I'm dying."

We were facing a battle not many survive. Fortunately one of us was up for it and knew exactly which guns to bring out. The big ones. A.k.a. Jiddishe Mama's Jewish chicken soup.

This is a soup every Jiddishe Mama and Bubbe (that's Jewish mamas and grandmothers everywhere) has in their recipe arsenal. Also known as Jewish penicillin, generations and generations have come to know its prowess. This soup is proven to cure any ailments life throws one's way, from heartache to flu.

An article published in an American medical journal shows the soup's miraculous healing properties are not entirely without scientific foundation: something in the chicken soup controls the white cells and helps the body fight the infection.

(Can any teenager think of anything more depressing? That even science shows how mothers really know best?)

Perhaps it's the nutrients in the soup? Perhaps it's the warmth that helps alleviate congestion? The hydrating qualities?

Or perhaps it's the key ingredient of any cooking: love?

The Jewish chicken soup is rather well known outside Jewish kitchens as well and I have a feeling many of you, too, will have at least heard of the most exotic element: the matzo balls?

While matzo meal (or the sheets you can grind into meal yourself) might be difficult to come by (sold at least in kosher delis) you can substitute them with water crackers.

(The soup is good and comforting even without the matzo balls and helps its stay gluten-free, too.)

You can also omit the noodles - in that case just use more root veggies. 

Instead of noodles/ spaghetti you can use any kind of pasta you want - the toddler within each patient tends to find teddy bear-shaped pasta particularly healing...

Serves 4-6

Jiddishe Mama's chicken soup - Jewish chicken soup with noodles and matzo balls:

1 whole 2 kg chicken)

about 2,5 l water

2 large carrots (or 3-4 smaller ones)

2 large onions (or 3 smaller ones)

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp whole black peppers

3 large garlic cloves (or 4-5 smaller ones)

3 bay leaves

the stalks of a parsley bunch

the stalks of a dill bunch

1 large carrots (or 2 smaller ones)

1/2 of a large leek (or 1 smaller one)

75 g spaghetti or noodles (gluten-free if needed)

remaining herbs

Pat the chicken dry and place in the largets pot you've got. Pour enough water into the pot to cover the chicken by about 10 cm. Bring to simmer.

Roughly chop the carrots and onions. Bruise the garlic with the back of the knife.

Cook the chicken for half an hour, skimming the foam and fat that forms on the top (save 3 tbsp of chicken fat, schmaltz, for the matzo balls).

Once the foam stops forming, add rest of the ingredients into the pot and simmer for further 1,5 hrs.

Transfer the chicken out of the pot and drain the stock through a mesh sieve. Check the taste and season with salt and pepper or chicken stock cube as needed. Prepare the matzo ball mixture at this point. 

To maximize the clarity of the soup, you can cool the stock and then skim the fat layer gathering on the top while the chicken cools. 

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, strip the skin and remove the meat from the bones. Shred the meat, cut the leek and carrots to match sticks and break the pasta into similar length pieces.

Return the stock into the pot and bring to simmer. Add matzo balls and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Then add pasta/ noodles and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Then add veggies and after another 5 minutes the chicken. Once the chicken's heated through, stir in the remaining herbs. In case too much stock has evaporated during cooking, replenish it with some chicken stock.

Matzo balls (depending on the size makes 20-25 balls):

3 eggs

3 tbsp chicken fat (or vegetable oil)

85 g matzo meal (or finely ground water crackers; gluten-free if needed)

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tl onion powder

1/2 tbsp finely chopped dill

1/2 tsp finely rated lemon zest

Blizz the matzo sheets or water crackers in a food processor until fine. Combine with rest of the dry ingredients. 

Lightly beat the eggs and add the fat.

Combine the dry and wet ingredients and stir quickly. Cover and chill for half an hour (this helps shaping the balls).

Roll into small balls of about 2 cm (they double in size when cooked).

Cook in the soup as instructed above.

Another highly potent flu-repeller is also one of my all-time favourite recipes on the blog: my mango, chilli and ginger chicken. 

Are you guys familiar with Jewish chicken soup? Or do you have another trusty go-to-recipe when you're feeling under the weather?

___________________


ANYONE FOR SECONDS?


       

SHARING IS CARING!

Viking Line's Champagne cruise on MS Grace - go on, spoil yourself!

* * * 

Viking Line's annual Champagne cruise on MS Grace is a perfect way to spoil yourself and the one you love. After all - Champagne is a lot like love itself!

* * * 

Meeting people for the first time is always as frightening as it is exciting.

What if in reality your date looks nothing like George Clooney (unlike his profile pic...)? What if you're in for a husband and a father of 18, just looking for something on the side?

What if your date turns out to be a sociopath serial killing maniac and at the end of the evening you'll end up mutilated and chopped up in a sports bag which won't be found until years from now in a basement somewhere in Denmark?

But the reason that keeps us trying again and again is the fact that the first date can also turn out to be a mind-blowing experience, which makes your insides bubble and leaves a smile on your face. Life feels like a celebration and everything feels possible. Eyes open and all of a sudden you're faced with a completely new world. 

Seriously? There are people like this out there in the world?

Senses sharpen as you don't want to miss a second. Every moment reveals something new and enticing about the other person, leaving your head spinning and wanting for more. 

Prices for Champagnes sold by the glass at Seamore Lounge start at €8. In our glasses Dom Perignon 2006, €28/ glass.

Sure, they come in all shapes and sizes; them people. But the more you get to know them, the better you start to understand what suits your own taste the best.

And then, when you come across something that sweeps you off your feet and makes you see stars... you've got to get more of that.

Much like is the case with Champagne.

The house Champagne onboard Viking Line's ships is Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve - an affordable find at the Duty Free for a mere €29.90 a bottle

Sure, the world is full of sparking wines. There's Prosecco and Cava. Sekt and Cremant. Sometimes you discover some real gems among them, too, but Champagne is the queen of all drinks. 

Part of its allure is based on the exclusivity. Champagne is only produced in a very small area, where people have spent hundreds of years mastering the craft with the aim of coming up with something which turns every day into a party and elevates the parties to a whole new level. 

It's something which at its best stops you at your feet. A bottle which, at its most spectacular, creates a celebration just by being opened. 

Already the sound of the popping cork instantly lifts one's spirits. Then there's the quiet sizzle as it's being poured into a glass.

The gloriusly golden content. The ascent of bubbles sparkling like millions of diamonds. The aroma; toasty, bright, fruity.

The pious moment you take the first, long-anticipated sip and the way the first touch makes your mouth water. The richness, which caresses your palate, whispering promises of adventures to come.

Champagne - my favourite tipple in the world. 

The only alcohol which is socially acceptable to enjoy any time of the day.

Drink that has throughout the history been devoured from a variety of vessels - some of them almost as legendary as the drink itself. 

The most classic Champagne glass is said to have been modelled after the breast of no less than the Queen of France. In 20th century it was considered the height of decadence to drink Champagne out of one's lady companions' shoe.  

Let's face it - who couldn't use more decadence in their life?

Like so many of the best things in life, Champagne was created by accident. Still today a lot depends on factors beyond man's control: poor weather conditions for instance can effectively ruin the entire harvest.

Champagne is associated with so much elegance and mystery; something that was only accelerated by the way it for a long time remained a pleasure only reserved for the royal courts.

The history of Champagne, however, is a history shaped by many strong and independent women. The (often early) deaths of men saw many of their widows (veuve in French, as in Veuve Clicquot) take control and in time they came to play a significant role in both developing new methods and the way businesses were run.

Best Champagne is very much like love itself: it makes you wait for it. In order to reach its peak Champagne needs to be treated with care - starting from Pinot Noir, the grape that lends Champagne its body. It's a temperamental and a very dignified variety which doesn't put up with just any surroundings... or company. 

Champagne is also not a drink for the foolish or impatient - you have to give it time to mature. But once you do this... Oh là là.

The final result makes it worth all the effort. 

Exactly a year ago I sat down in a wine bar for a first date which I had been looking forward to with an increasing panic gripping my every nerve. The cork had been popped about a week and a half earlier as we'd exchanged our first messages and already then I knew I was in for a rare treat.

And now, here he was - only an arm's length away.

We drank Pinot Noir and stared at each other; overwhelmed. Both of us worrying what was going through the other person's head; each just longing to reach out into one anothers' arms. 

The evening was over far too soon. There was still so much to explore and admire. The date had left us both bewildered as if we'd been hit in the head. It was impossible to even try to sleep. 

We continued texting well into the morning until the dawn broke and the first birds started their concert outside our respective windows. 

What on earth had just happened?

There was no doubt about it - I had to get more of this. 

This was a person I knew I wanted to take my time enjoying. It only took some weeks before I found myself onboard Viking Line (armed with Champagne, of course!) making my way across the sea -  and into his arms again. 

The road that led to me finding this rare specimen was not an easy one, but worth all the wait; worth all the yeasty, corked, second-class tastings I'd have to suffer through.

The circumstances were right at last. Time had matured us both and we were ready for this moment; a moment one doesn't get many of in one lifetime. Some never do.  

There we were, ready to open and share our content with someone who'd appreciate and cherish it - down to the last drop.

Now, a year later, we look at each other, still not quite believing our paths actually crossed. 

And I couldn't have thought of a better way to celebrate our first anniversary and love; spread across two states than the annual Champagne cruise on Viking Line's MS Grace, sailing between those two very countries. 

Prices for 24-hour Champagne cruise onboard MS Grace (Turku- Stockholm) start at €157 pp (depending on the cabin class)

The journey it took for the time to be right for the both of us has been a long and arduous one. Perhaps that's why I don't want to waste another minute. I no longer want to wait any more than I absolutely must: I want to enjoy and spoil us right now.

He only deserves the best and that's why only MS Grace, the pride and joy of Viking Line's fleet, would do.

A beautiful cabin and dreamy bed we can just dive in and forget all about the world outside.

The wonderful meals at Oscar à la Carte, prepared by someone else so that for once we both can just sit down to focus on enjoying the feast... and each other.

Menus at Oscar á la Carte start at €44 pp. (€66 including the wine pairings) 

A visit to the spa; lounging in the Jacuzzi and admiring the archipelago that separates us.

Entrance to Wellness Spa €24/ adult. Ship's Champagne (Charles Heidsieck)  €27 / demi bottle

Seamore Lounge with its glorious selection of Champagnes by the glass along with all the rarities only available  during the Champagne cruise; each as unique as this moment.

Deluxe breakfast at Oscar á la Carte, overlooking the sea view we both love so much.

Deluxe breakfast is included in the cabin price from  Premium class upwards. Purchased separately the price is €19 (€17 when purchased in advance)

Champagne tasting, which allows us to learn more not just about the Champagne, but each other, too. 

Charles Heidsieck, Henriot, Joseph Perrier, Veuve Clicquot, Moët Chandon, Taittinger, Ruinart, Dom Perignon... much like the bubbles in those endless glasses of Champagne we're finding it difficult to keep our feet on the ground. 

This is Heaven - we never want the cruise to end. 

Ship's legendary seafood platter that neither one of us can get enough of. Little touches of luxury which will carry us with their wings for days even after the return. 

Seafood platter €47 pp. Champagne (Taittinger Folies de la Marquetterie ) €72 / bottle

And of course a trip to Viking Line's Duty Free, where (courtesy of their own impressive import and unbeatable prices) we choose Champagnes to take home with us.

Champagnes we've fallen in love with on this trip; bottles we'll open together and be instantly transported back to the blissful moments of these past days and all the wonderful memories we're now creating together. 

Strong and independent. That's something I have been for a long time. But that's also meant alone. Now it's time to make room in my life for the most incredible of individuals and embrace all the adventures the possibilities of which at this point seem endless. 

Our smiling eyes meet each other across the table as we raise our glasses. 

Let the journey begin!

* * * 

In collaboration with Viking Line

___________________

ANYONE FOR SECONDS?

         

SHARING IS CARING!