Food

Bath chaps looks good.
I've got them marinading in soy sauce, honey, sherry and allspice now though.

Ginger pig opened just round the corner in Wanstead.

Last night cooked a nice bit of bavette. Been hankering after some ever since @Olly398 posted some a few pages back (might've been onglet).

Whilst there we bought scotch eggs, pies and of course sausage rolls hnnnnnnggg

Never had their scotch eggs. Any good? What's the crumb like? I always find cold ones a bit meh. Hot is great because runny yolk and crisp crumb. Cold = cloying yoke and soggy crumb :/

Good crumb and exceptional pork mince coating, egg a little over but I don't mind that too much

The sausage rolls w/Stilton are totes amaze

Gave in. Got a falafel wrap from two hairy guys in the market on chatsworth road. Even though they are unorganised and not particularly hygienic (fine for outside i guess). The wraps were bloody lovely. no wonder there is always a huge queue.

It's inspired me to make my own..

Does anyone have a recipe for falafels?

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/feb/19/how-to-cook-perfect-falafel

Not tried them because it's a faff but I like most of the Felicity Cloake recipes I've tried and the general approach of the articles.

yes, fava (broad) > chickpeeees by far

Fava beans are foul.

Is that what they've turned the place into? Might have to drop in on my way home...

it's an odd place. someone's clearly ploughed shit ton of money into it and what you've got is an italian food court staffed by people who've clearly never worked in the service industry in their life. took 3 people to work out how the till worked. the on-site shop is good tho.

Been planning to go there as there's meant to be an Italian beer bar.

Off to Belgium next weekend: Lille, Ypres, Bruges, Ghent, Geraardsberger, Tournai, Lille

Any tips for food/beers/restaurants/pubs/breweries along the route below?

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/15871877

May be worth making a detour towards Poperinge to visit Westvletern Abbey/Brewery, they hardly ever sell their beers beyond the abbey grounds.

Pubs in Ghent: http://www.ottosrambles.co.uk/ghent.php I've been to most of these and they are great, also +1 for Belga Queen for top seafood.

Herberg 't Velootje is run by a man who decides to open whenever he wants, the place is chock full of bike parts

Also pick up some of the Ghent noses (Cuberdons), they are purple pyramid shaped sweets. Don't buy them from the guy at the train station though as they are not as nice as the ones in the centre of town.

You can get their beers everywhere these days, they are very expensive in the bars but some tourist beer shops have the 12 for 8 euros a bottle.

That's disappointing! Sell out monks...

I know they're supposed to be december-may but is there anywhere I can pick up blood oranges at the mo?

HMV?

bro do u even spotify?

Just made myself a goma-dressed salad with rice noodles & veg.
nommmmm

wat is goma

http://www.justonecookbook.com/sesame-dressing/

experimented a lot to get the veggie chilli right .. finally got it close to perfection .. soaked Habanero, Chipotle, Ancho and Cascabel overnight, also soaked some kidney beans and chickpeas (wtf!? right?) .. made paste of chillies in the morning, fried with onions and some sweet smoked paprika, liquid smoke, chopped and peeled tomatoes, blitzed the chickpeas in food processor which is the CLOSEST thing to minced beef, pressure cooked it along with kidney beans on low for an hour .. ate with roasted sweet potato and rice .. AMAZING!

Might give up meat chilli.

Sounds amazing. I think I prefer veg chilli to meat these days. Purists will sneer but I go with a shit ton of beans, peppers and sweet potato or pumpkin (added later so it doesn't turn to mush).