Reviews

Tuyo London: New Restaurant in Hackney

August 22, 2017

Octopus

It always feels like most exciting new restaurant openings are in East London, and whilst I haven’t yet figured out why, every so often I like to cross the river and check out what all the fuss is about. I must confess I was attracted to Tuyo, because it comes from an ex-Salt Yard chef and when I read this I immediately thought of the mini Ibérico pork and foie gras burger I had first enjoyed at Taste of London. Tuyo is located on an unassuming street, conveniently across the road from a pub just in case you need to catch the end of the Tottenham v Chelsea match before eating dinner. 

The décor is effortlessly stylish, with large windows, wicker shades and gorgeous plates, which in many ways is reflected in the food and service. The staff is attentive and warm, with a slight nervousness that is actually endearing not unsettling. The Mediterranean inspired menu consists of small plates with dishes that are simple in flavour but feels thoughtful in cookery and plating.  Continue Reading…

Appetizers/Small Bites, Meats, Quick Recipes, Recipes

Oxtail Arancini

August 15, 2017
Oxtail Arancini

Oxtail Arancini

At Three Little Birds I enjoy taking traditional Jamaican recipes and thinking of new ways of presenting them to my customers. A couple weeks ago I was playing around with a concept for “Rice & Peas” and I had some leftover risotto, which brought me back to my first taste of suppli in Rome. Suppli and arancini are similar Italian risotto balls but the former are normally smaller and filled with cheese instead of meat ragu. Considering we currently have oxtail ragu on the menu I thought that using the oxtail (minus the tomato sauce) combined with the leftover risotto would make for a perfect bitesize tasty morsel and I wasn’t wrong.  Continue Reading…

Quick Recipes

Best 5 minute breakfast

August 8, 2017

5 minute Breakfast: Oats

Back in April I posted a picture of oats on Instagram with a caption about needing a quick breakfast to keep me happy & healthy and I felt like people really understood me. There are many mornings where I simply don’t eat breakfast because I wake up with a clear plan of how the day should go and I just want to get started, not fiddle with pots, pans and then the washing up that comes after. I’ve seen a lot of overnight oats on Pinterest and whilst the pictures look amazing, the texture of overnight oats is personally not for me. Thankfully fresh oats porridge, literally takes 5 minutes to cook once the water or milk has boiled.  Continue Reading…

Reviews

Best Pain au Chocolat in London

July 26, 2017

Pain Au Chocolat

With approximately 300,000 French residents, London is France’s sixth biggest city so the question is where are they all getting their dose of French delicacies that keep them sane during spells of homesickness? I feel like bakeries are experiencing a resurgence with more and more artisanal producers of sweet and floury treats setting up shops, stalls and kiosks all over the city. There’s a seemingly never-ending hype around doughnuts and sourdough breads (can’t forget pizza); but are people still talking cupcakes? Unfortunately not everyone lives up to the hype – that’s for another post – one place that does live up to my hype every single time is Boulangerie Bon MatinContinue Reading…