Asian Style salad

The main ingredient for this salad are the glass noodles. To get these right, do not cook them in a pan, as I found out, only few minutes of boiling will turn them into mash. Place them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them, leave for about 10 mins or until your happy with the consistency. Now you can add anything you like. Red pepper, spring onions, some cos salad leaves, lightly cooked asparagus, avocado, coriander and roasted cashew nuts. Pour over a dressing consisting of virgin olive oil, soy sauce and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and Voila,

For people who like it hot, add chilli or ginger. 

Fernandez and Wells

If your travels ever take you to Somerset house, do visit Fernandez and Wells restaurant at its premises. The setting is beautiful, especially on a sunny day when you can sit out in the courtyard. 

They offer a simple selection of Spanish an Italian produce but very good quality. 

I particularly LOVE the padron peppers. Small Spanish peppers fried in olive oil and sprinkled with rock sea salt. They are eaten whole, the seeds and all. Some, very few though, can be spicy, it's like a Russian roulette. 

The selection of charcuterie and cheese is also excellent. 

Cakes on offer are homely and tasty. 

There are few branches in Soho, but they are very small. They recently opened at Exhibition road too which I have not visited yet.

Superfoods

Today I made a salad from quinoa for the first time. I mixed it with roasted red beetroot, grated carrot and lightly toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds. All of these ingredients are so called superfoods! All charged with vitamins and antioxidants, just what I need for this windy rainy weather.

Yotam way

I have always been aware of  Yotam Ottolenghi, the chef and food writer, as I often seen his recipes in guardian and have tried some over the years. But I have never visited one of his restaurants until last week. We went in for a cake but the salad bar was so tempting, we couldn't resist. You get a choice of three and I loved the chickpea with mashed squash and feta cheese. The rice salad and puréed beetroot was also delicious. All the ingredients are fresh and wholesome with addition of traditional Israeli seasonings. The cakes are particularly delicious, unusual take on baked cheesecake in a pastry case with raspberry jam or the financier with mascarpone and fresh fruits. The selection is changed daily and take out is available as there is only one small communal table in the Belgravia restaurant. 

You can also check out the website where you can find recipes, ingredients information and other useful bits. 

ottolenghi.co.uk 

Le Verre Volé

Today's post is from a place in Paris called Le Verre Volé. Its located by St. Martins canal in 10th arrondissement. They prepare simple but interesting and delicious food and it always inspires me to make similar dishes at home. Today we opted for a simple salad of raw marinated beet root with smoked mozzarella and a whiting ceviche in lemon dressing and red onion. The bread tasted of hazelnuts and wine was also fantastic. After all they are a wine bar as well. 

If you're in the area, make sure you will give it a go. 

Pancakes

We wanted to start our blog with something everyone would like. So why not pancakes!!! They are versatile, easy to make and so delicious. I made those American style fluffy pancakes as a breakfast treat with golden syrup, fresh fruit and a trickle of creme fraiche. What are your favourite pancakes?