Christmas in London (part 2)

So Christmas Eve was enjoyable and provided us with a laid-back day to ease into London. Christmas morning greeted us heartily with a humongous breakfast (see English Breakfast post) and allowed us to venture out for a lovely day of walking most of central London.

A major concern in booking this trip was the fact that everything we read said that EVERYTHING was closed on Christmas Day. Figuring most restaurants would be closed, I did exhaustive research online to find something- anything- that would be open for a decent holiday meal. Along came Ozer, a Turkish restaurant. Indeed they were open, with a regular menu even. Reservations made. Of course it wasn't right near our hotel, so we had to walk as the Tube IS closed on Christmas Day. No worries- no snow and good food made it worth it.

Never having eaten Turkish food, we were up for the challenge. No challenge here except how to narrow down our choices! With it's Mediterranean location, Turkey offers many foods similar to Greek cuisine (which we love). To start, we ordered an appetizer sampler- falafel, salads, eggplant, spinach & feta and the like. Score one for Ozer. Don found a more classic Christmas dish- turkey- for his entree. Yes, Turkish turkey. I went for the house special of grilled meatballs in a tomato and yogurt sauce. Score two more for Ozer. We had to top it all off with dessert, so we opted for Baklava. Once again, Ozer delivered. A nice holiday feast that will surely be our only Turkish Christmas dinner!

Ozer @ Oxford Circus

Christmas in London

Christmas Eve 2009 was our first (real) foray into English food. The salt-lick, yet strangely intriguing, baguette sandwich we had at Heathrow upon arrival doesn't really count. So, other than stocking up on crisps, not knowing if anything would be open where we could get food on Christmas Day, we ventured into the Jack Horner Pub for dinner. 

At first it felt a little weird to be in a pub at Christmastime, but a pint of Fuller's and some cheeky Brit fare changed our attitude entirely. The fish and chips came highly recommended by some fellow guests and then we took a chance on the Jack Horner Pie (specialty of the house)- a shepherd's pie type dish filled with meat and veggies. Both delivered on being delicious and filling. Who said English food is bland? We found it quite enjoyable; nothing a wee shake of salt couldn't cure! ;)

Score one for the London food scene so far. Sure, this was one of many in the Fuller Ale and Pie House chain, but it had the feel of a nice cozy local pub. Good beer, great food and fun people watching! Cheers to the Jack Horner Pub!

Jack Horner Pub, Tottenham Court Road

Of course, we opted out of dessert and decided to stock up on crisps, biscuits (aka cookies) and chocolate! Then off to the hotel to relax, watch some BBC on the tube and indulge in some nontraditional Christmas snacks.

Crisps

I've always enjoyed potato chips, finding it hard to resist their salty goodness (especially with Bison Chip Dip). In England, however, they take their "crisps" VERY seriously! Funky flavors abound... I just wish I could try them all! (Well, maybe not the Prawn Cocktail flavor.) Even plain crisps aren't called plain; they're "Ready Salted." How very properly English. Of course they have the standard Cheese & Onion, Salt & Vinegar and such, but why bother? We can get those stateside. Here's a sampling of some creative flavors:

• Steak & Onion
• Smoky Bacon
• Roast Chicken
• Pickled Onion
• Worcester Sauce
• BBQ Rib
• Paprika
• Sweet Chili
• Roast Beef & Mustard
• Smoked Ham & Pickle
• Fish & Chips

Determined to find a favorite, we had to sample a variety of flavors from various brands. While we didn't have a bad crisp (even Walker's- their version of Lay's- did a fine job), there was a definite winner: Marks & Spencer Taw Valley Cheddar and Caramelised Shallots. I don't know where Taw Valley is, but I must go there some day to pay homage to this exalted crisp.

All hail the King of Crisps!

English Breakfast

It's not just a meal; it's an adventure. English Breakfast is not for the diet-conscious and/or the conservative eater. I'm pretty sure you could eat this meal in the morning and bank enough calories and fat until the next week!

So what is included in a full English Breakfast?

• Bacon (back bacon, actually... most likely mistaken for ham)
• Poached eggs
• Fried tomatoes and mushrooms
• Toast
• Sausages
• Baked beans
• Hash brown potato cake
• Tea
• Angioplasty (Well, it should come with it!)

Yes, everything is fried. Even the toast. (I think.) So when you stay at a hotel in London around Christmas and you're not sure if anything will be open on Christmas Day, stuff your face with a full English Breakfast just in case there is no food to be found for the rest of the day. Of course, we were really paranoid that this would be the case, so we even added fruit, cereal, juice and pastries! Contrary to what everyone told us, however, there were plenty of places to grab a bit to eat, like the Charles Dickens Coffee House. While Chuck was not known for being a barista, apparently he actually lived and worked in that actual building. But I digress...

In summary, the full English Breakfast is NOT to be eaten daily. (Have you ever seen "SuperSize Me?") Though if you need to fill up or fulfill your fried food jones, it's exactly what you need. Just bring lots of Tums. Just couldn't get enough the first two days- we went out our last morning and had to get one last fill!

Thanks, Arosfa Hotel, for serving a killer breakfast!
 

London

English food? Really? Really! 

Despite many warnings about bad food, we jetted off to London last Christmas anxious to experience life across the pond. Don and I still reminisce about our British food encounters, trying to rationalize why we actually loved everything we ate there. Now, we generally will eat just about anything and tend to be moderately adventurous when trying new foods. (We draw the line at organs, insects, and worms!) We do, however, try to avoid chain restaurants; not only do we prefer to support local businesses, but we are not fans of relatively unimaginative, processed food we can get anywhere. So does everyone else who has been there have really high standards while ours are really low? We can't imagine that's the case. Sure, British fare is not known for its intense flavor and seasoning. Then again, we sometimes can't resist some good old comfort food like fish and chips or meat and potatoes. We were told to go ethnic, so we did. We also just delved right into the local dishes and loved them. When in Rome... er, London!

Stay tuned...

• Meat pies of many varieties
• Turkish Christmas
• English Breakfast
• Fish and chips
• Tapas
• Pizza
• Chinatown
• Crisps
• Hot dogs (yes, in London)
• Polish New Year's Eve
• Marks & Spencer and Tesco

GIANT paella at Covent Garden (about 3' across!)

Crepes

This past weekend reminded me of some wonderful memories I’ve had with the national pancake of France. We enjoyed dinner from Simply Crepes in Canandaigua with friends after a day of wine touring. I had a scrumptious combination of ham, brie, caramelized onion and apples while Don enjoyed an equally tasty crepe filled with turkey and smoked Gouda. For dessert we enjoyed Nutella with bananas and a strawberry/blueberry with vanilla ice cream. Delish!

Of course, we reminisced about our first Erie Canal kayak trip a couple of years ago. After our first night of camping, we set out from the JCC in Rochester to Pittsford. Our goal was to make it to Pittsford in time for breakfast at Simply Crepes. We made it and enjoyed perhaps the most posh breakfast any kayak campers have ever eaten. The perfect fuel for a full day of paddling!

Then we recalled the crepes we had in Paris. During our whirlwind tour of the City of Light, we stopped briefly outside the Pompideau Centre to research how good the crepes really are. First of all, the crepe itself had the diameter of a small kitchen table. Then, the crepe was smeared with the world’s most awesome substance- Nutella. Finally, Monsieur Crepe Guy took an entire banana and thinly sliced it onto the crepe. After a few folds, we had our quintessential Parisian crepe. Other than the fact that the Nutella turned into molten liquid and nearly burned every taste bud off our tongues, it was the most decadent, delectable and delightful street food we ever tasted. 

Post-crepe posing at Pompideau

I can’t think of crepes and not be reminded of my family’s Christmas breakfast tradition. Christmas morning means crepes. Mom never makes just one or two dozen, but (what seems like) about 60! There are the sweet varieties of either strawberry or applesauce, topped with powdered sugar. Then there is the savory crepe with ham, Swiss cheese and Mornay sauce. Breakfast always includes some kind of fruit and some type of bread or coffee cake, but the crepes remain the same: homemade, delicious and comforting.

I'm a grape-aholic

That's right. My name is Andrea and I'm a grape-aholic. I always knew I had a particular affinity for all things grape-flavored. It really just came to light today as I noticed the following on or near me: grape Nerds, Jones Soda grape carbonated candy, grape Laffy Taffy and (of course) grape licorice. Lots of grape licorice! 

New grape obsession!

I even just bought some grape-scented candle melts which are making the house nice and grapey smelling. Come to think of it, I recently purchased skin cleanser made from grape water. We have a monster grapevine in our backyard and, man, does it smell absolutely awesome in the late summer. Growing up, I was never really a fan of cola or even lemon-lime pop. I'd drink it if that was the only thing around, but given a choice I'd take a can of grape any day.

Our dining room lamp

I do like actual grapes, though oddly enough they're not my favorite fruit. Probably not even in my top five fruits. So why the obsession? No idea. Funny thing is that I LOVE strawberries, but I almost completely avoid anything that is strawberry flavored. 

Kitchen decor

As a kid, I did love the color purple. Maybe that's where it all started. What I do know is that today my love for the grape and all things related is closely tied to a little drink you may have heard of... wine!

Almost forgot about Goofy Grape!

Even a grape mirror!