Mussels and fries: welcome to Belgo

On Sunday I met up with two of my best friends, one of the Jean Louis, is a very talented chef whose suggestions on food spots to try in and around London I am always happy to follow.

Today I was in for a little treat.

You see, one thing that I miss as a Mediterranean girl is mussels. I live on mussels when I go back to Italy in summer. I love the texture, the smell and the different types of ways to serve them  you can choose from. 

Today Jean Louis took me to Belgo in Covent Garden ( there are other London branches) a Belgian food chain famous for its mussels and frites. I was sceptical. "Jean Louis are you sure? Can we trust having mussels here in London? Are they going to be as tasty and safe to eat?" Once again Jean Louis was right on the money..

For £13.50 I got a lovely steel pot brought to my table filled with the freshest, cleanest and tastiest mussels a la Provencale. That is, served with both sundries tomatoes, fresh plum tomatoes and basil.oh yeah. They were absolutely delicious. Mussels are served with double cooked fries, crispy and not greasy, light and tasty. 

And since I was in the mood for trying new things, I also got a started of duck croquettes served with pickled daikon salad. Oh my.. The croquettes were crunchy, light and the duck filling moist and tender. The daikon salad was smoothly tangy and just perfect and complemented the croquettes perfectly. It was £6. 

I also got a still water with lemon. As a Sunday treat, I happily spent £20 for good quality, mouthwatering food. I also saw mussels served in a way that was new to me: open mussels with a mix of spinach and cheese on top. Looked incredible!

And I'll tell you more, when I go back, because I will, I will not shy away from trying one of their warm Belgian waffles with ice cream for dessert. Looking forward to it.

The bottom line is that I am about to become a nutritional therapist, one that believes in eating fresh wholefoods 80% of the time, but that is against guilt and deprivation, supporting a healthy 20% of times when you just need to get out there and enjoy whatever types of food you might want to eat. Just make sure they are the best quality you can afford. Treat yourself right. Life is too short not to.x

Belgo (Covent Garden Branch) 

50 Earlham Street

London WC2H 9LJ 

0207 8132233

http://www.belgo.com

WOKIT baby, WOKIT!

This is a place I discovered just before Christmas, my flatmate Patch swore to me I would have loved it and boy, was he right.

I as a little sceptical on my way there, Patch said they did stir-fries and I thought it would just be another Wagamama.. I was wrong.

Wokit is just in front of Borough Market, it's cosy and colourful inside. Just a couple of regular tables at the back, and two high ones with tall stools just next to the cooking area. And that's the great thing, you can see everything that's happening, it's all out there, right in front of your eyes for you to take  in: the fresh ingredients you can choose from, and the fabulous smells from the different types of dishes being sautéed just next to your table.

They have anything you might need, gluten free noodles, vegan options such as tofu if that's what you want. If not, then you can add some delicious salmon, beef, duck, pork and chicken...

But what I loved the most were the noodles, oh wow the noodles! I was looking for a gluten free option and decided to try the buckwheat and sweet potato noodles. Absolutely incredible, trust me, light and tasty.The stir fry comes with a mix of vegetables ( carrot, garlic, ginger, beansprouts, cabbage and spring onions) to which you can add some extra one from their menu. You add your source of protein,  I chose salmon, and a miso coriander dressing. Yes, you also choose your dressing people! You create a stir fry that is perfectly tailored just for you.

The prices are affordable and the portion is large. I couldn't finish mine, but Patch was very happy to finish it for me. Kind man.

Take a look at their menu and start drooling. Then get yourselves down there and enjoy every single bite, you'll be back for more. I know I will.

This is where you are headed:

Borough Market

3 Stoney Street

London, SE1 9AA

Tel: 0207 74032111

Happy Monday!

xxx

Love,

Foodolina

Five questions with...Joe Kaye from Caffix.

About a month ago as I was strolling around the Goodge street area on my lunch break, I found myself in Newman Street, in front of a cute coffee shop called Caffix, and a sign that said :

EVERY ITEM £1.

What?!?! How was that possible? Surely it would be full of cheap precessed unhealthy food..
The same stuff I would probably find in Poundland..

Boy was I wrong.

As I walked in and looked on the refrigerator shelves, I could not believe I was looking at quinoa and kale salad pots, chickpea salads, bean salads, lovely sandwiches filled with chicken, ham...

And even  protein pots of boiled eggs, just like pret a manger...but everything was £1.

And should the weather turn cold..They also offer two different soups choices.

They even had fresh juices, water bottles and for the naughty ones..fizzy drinks like Cocoa Cola cans.

I was intrigued and kept looking around when I saw delicious muffins (some are even gluten and dairy free) and snacks like nuts and trail mix.

All this is in addition to coffees, hot chocolate and teas!


I needed to know how this was possible and found the man behind it all: Joe Kaye.

Here's what Joe told me about his little gem in the heart of London:

1. When did you open and how has the public's response been so far?
We opened at the end of May so about 6 weeks ago now. The public's reaction has been amazing. We have had so much interest from the local workers in the area as well as from people far away in the rest of London and the UK. We have even had people from the USA, Hungary and other parts of Europe come visit us while they have been in London as they read the reviews and saw the publicity in the papers.

2. Is all the food freshly made in your kitchen, juices included? 
We freshly make each day the majority of the food including baking some of the cakes including the flourless muffins and banana bread. A few items such as the hummus and falafel we have made for us by a specialist dedicated supplier. Yes all the juices are made in store.

3. How did you get the idea?
Prices for food in London and the UK are high, we have been wanting to expand our existing coffee shop in Finchley Central (Bites Coffee House) and thought we will try a different approach, giving people real value and choice. That is the essence of the Caffix concept, low price for good fresh quality food, and the ability to construct your own meal as you wish to taste it.

4. Where do you source your ingredients?
We try as much as possible to source locally so for example we use UK breed chicken, ham and beef. We use free range eggs in our egg pots and fresh market salad ingredients.
Our suppliers are highly reputable and industry leaders.

5. What is the most popular item? 
Our Apple lemon and ginger juice, jalapeño hummus and falafel pots, kale & quinoa pots, and in this hot weather our iced coffee frappe a are the most popular items.

6. Does the menu change? Is it seasonal?
We change the menu slightly every week, and are always looking at new items we can add. So we are currently developing a range of wraps, and fruit pots.



So, ladies and gentlemen, if you find yourself in the area do yourself a favour and check out Caffix, all products are single sized portions so if you wish you can pick and mix sort of like tapas.

Living in London is expensive enough and I believe a coffee shop with such affordable home-made food is nothing short than a breath of fresh air.


Love,

Foodolina



Caffix
45 Newman Street
W1T 1QE London
Open: Mon-Fri 7.30am-5.30pm

LA POLENTERIA

Polenta (cornmeal) is one of my favourite comfort foods to have in autumn and winter time. It's always been a staple in my family as it's such a versatile type of food that you can have with meat, vegetables, fish..

One of my best memories connected to this delicious food, is a family reunion years ago when my grandfather was still alive. We got the whole family together for a Saturday trip to the mountains, we went looking for chestnuts in the forest and after that,we went for lunch in the cutest cottage and had the most amazingly warming and creamy polenta with fresh, local, porcini mushrooms.. 

It was a perfect day. 

That's probably why, when I walked into La Polenteria in Soho, I didn't even have to think about it and even though there were so many delicious options, I knew that the gluten free, vegan polenta with mixed fresh mushrooms was exactly what I was craving! 

You heard right, this fabulous foodie spot uses gluten free, non gmo polenta, has tons of vegan options ( including vegan cupcakes for desserts and gluten free gelato from Italy) but also meat choices.. 

It's got something for everybody! Additionally, should you want to pop there for lunch from you can enjoy a LUNCH DEAL of a polenta dish plus a side salad for £8 on Monday through Friday and £10 on Saturday and Sunday! 

And if that wasn't enough....they also offer a HAPPY HOUR with 1 fruity Prosecco cocktail with either 3 mixed polentini ( small polenta finger food) for £5 or with a board of Italian meats and cheeses for £10.

I also shared a dessert with my mom who's currently visiting and spoiling me.. We tucked into a creamy Affogato al caffe', delicious espresso coffee poured over gluten free coffee ice cream...

Absolute Heaven.

I know Polenta is not well known yet here in London, so I believe it's time to spread the word and get yourself down to La Polenteria as soon as possible!! 

Gabriele, the lovely Italian owner, opened this restaurant just before Christmas as he loves polenta himself and wanted to make this yummy dish known here in London too. All the ingredients used are fresh and really mouthwatering, service is professional and friendly and the actual restaurant has a happy and positive vibe!  

I highly recommend it and I'll be back there very soon.x