Food

It's my girlfriends birthday on the Friday 24th and I'll be taking her on a pampering day, hair and makeup for a 1920's night is booked in Crystal Palace for 2pm.

Question is, does anyone have recommendations for good eateries in Crystal Palace or close by for pre hair & makeup?

The Exhibition Rooms???

@inchpincher you make me want to make pasta.

Those are huge ravioli! Nice

http://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/09/11/leo-giordani-k-c-continental-stores/

I've posted about K C Continental Store before.
I was in and heard that he is finally shutting up shop at the end of this month April 2015. It's really sad as it's the end of a lifetime. There's no party, he just has to hand in the keys.
So please go in and buy some stuff, meet the man and then gaze across the road to Tesco. :(

Loads of pasta at absolute bargain bin prices and loads of other stuff including a slab of 12 bottles of passata for £10.

Prosciutto is still mega bargainous!

I'll have a look in while it's still open, I didn't know it existed. I used to go to Salvino's on Brecknock rd all the time when my ex gf lived on Murray Mews and I used to spend my dole money in there while hanging at Cantelowes skatepark.

Took some inspiration from recent posts tonight:

@inchpincher made me crave ravioli (made while watching motoGP), @jim1985 made me curious about spinach and salmon.

Outcome: Salmon and ricotta stuffed ravioli with spinach cream and walnuts sauce. Top.

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Anyone do mobile catering? Have a possible shoot coming up - this time with a bit more of a budget so I don't have to do it myself the night before - but not a grand a day like I'm being quoted.

Need catering for about 20 people. Either 2 days including one very late night (8am to 10pm or so) or 3 days (8am to 6pm). Needs to be mobile in some sense - doesn't have to be a food van (especially if it costs 1k a day) but needs to be near Heathrow one day, Maidenhead the next and potentially central London if the 3rd day happens.

Let me know. Also even if not available would love an idea of what it would cost me. The quote I had was from someone who usually does larger shoots and said he'd need to add in a 400 quid surcharge for less than 35 heads. Is 500/600 for two days completely unrealistic?

Wow, want! As I semi inspired this I feel it rude I wasn't invited

£1,000 per diem, broken down is £50 per head. The caterer has to provide the grub (say £10 of that) and facilities (say another £10). Then the caterer has at least two persons doing the work (say £20 for the two). Which leaves a possible £10 per head profit, not that much really.

Are you re-charging (with 15% handling fee of course) back to the client?

Do you really need 2+1 people to cater 20 people?

Looks boss, that's made me crave pesto now. Pizza for tea methinks.

No re-charging. Agency offering us 20k all in which is already being stretched very tight for up to three challenging days plus post production.

I get the maths, I just think 1000 per day is over the odds. For smaller shoots (10-15 people) I've done the catering myself and had great results for about 200 all in. Maybe 250 if hiring mobile cooking gear/urns etc. I get that that is cutting corners to extremes but adding 750 to that plus travel (quoted 200) doesn't sound like a deal.

Speaking of pesto, wild garlic.
I know of the Hampy Heath having some but can't remember where.
Anyone care to point me in the direction of a patch to save me hrs of walking?

I went to Pitt Cue on Saturday with my girlfriend. We ended up having a special which was smoked lamb neck to share. 8 hours smoked, 12 hours slow cooked, with kimchi and two sides. Totally massive and only £30. Top bargs.
One of those dishes that causes everyone in then restaurant to turn round and gawp - serious food envy from all the other tables.
The flavour was insane, so rich and with just right amount of smokiness. The kimchi and grilled lettuce provided a good balance to the richness, smoked lamb is in interesting flavour, not something I've tried before.
As we got deeper into the neck I realised I could just snap the vertebrae apart to get to the marrow. Such joy.

Salvino's on Brecknock rd all the time when my ex gf lived on Murray Mews and I used to spend my dole money in there while hanging at Cantelowes skatepark.

Awesome, looking to move into that area next month so hit me on any other insider-hood info!

Well it's been a while since I was around those parts, about 6+ years now. I remember it being pretty quiet, if you're moving to Cantelowes/Murray st area then obviously there's the Lord Stanley pub which is great but a little spendy. Otherwise Kentish Town and Camden are on your doorstep so whatever you fancy!

http://www.clarksoncatering.co.uk/

Spotted in Private Eye.

Free punch up with every dinner (or lack of)?

just got back fro copenhagen. sad to see how what was probably a thriving local food culture be subsumed by endless try-hard american bbq joints. That said - this place was pretty good. Standard bbq + beer fare.

Best meal by far was a simple fishcake with a traditional creamy, mustard sauce and a slice of black bread eaten out of a paper plate on a street corner.

Your kitchen looks as nice as the food. Where is your worktop from?

Cheers. We went here and it was good. Had fun in the bar downstairs too.

Made some passable ramen and laksa the last couple of days. Not even remotely authentic I'm sure but tasty nonetheless.

I usually make stock from a chicken carcass as the base for (leftover roast chicken) ramen but as I was short of time and wanted to include mushrooms this time I did a stock from dried porcini (with thyme, soy, garlic, ginger, chilli and lemongrass).

Did the chicken stock for as long as I could (turned out to be nearly 90 mins which was actaully ok (just simmered the bones with, celery, onion, tomato, carrot etc). I then add the same finely chopped aromatics as above and let it simmer for anoter half hour at least before straining.

On tasting the mushroom stock had a nice earthy kick and the chicken was pretty good but quite light so I combined them to make two pans of spicy chicken and mushroom broth. Controversial but it really worked. To each of those I can any more soy, ginger, chilli, lemongrass or garlic to taste in the final stages of cooking.

So ramen 1 on monday was filled out with udon noodles, beansprouts, sliced and fried shitake mushrooms, the shredded chicken leg and thigh meat, pak choy, green beans and spring onion. Had lime juice, fresh chilli, corriander, soy and sesame oil on the table to taste. If I was going to make it more Vietnamese I usually go with fish sauce in the broth and fresh mint as well.

Tuesday was pan 2 with coconut milk, extra chilli paste and lime juice before adding the udon, beanspouts, fried (mixed this time) mushrooms, green beans pak choy, thinly sliced red onion and fresh sweetcorn. Same garnish/condiment treatment as above.

Both totally tasty, cheap and stretched one small chicken out to feed two hungry people (two helpings of soup each) for three days.

Claiming a win.

We have been getting Riverford organic fruit and veg boxes delivered for a while. Have always been impressed with the flavour of their produce. This week we decided to try their recipe box. They send all the ingredients to make 3 meals for two.

Was actually really impressed - we did one for lunch and one for supper today. It seems a bit extravagant but most times I go to the supermarket to buy ingredients for a meal for both of us I tend to spend more than £10 quid anyway.

Strong work! Ramen and laksa are two of my fave things, making the broth is so satisfying...

KL is not failing to deliver... Chicken and saltfish claypot for lunch yesterday then we went to our fave Chinese place for fried pork ribs and salt and pepper squid for dinner... Delicious... Think I might go Thai this morning tho' I may just go for some Nasi Goreng... We're in food heaven, so bloody cheap too...

cockalicious!