In Junichiro Tanizaki's celebrated novel, The Makioka Sisters (or Sasameyuki (細雪), loosely translated as 'light snow' or 'a flurry of snow'--titles in translations are always so different but I guess it's as much about nuance as meaning), the four Makioka sisters,...
You may think that coconut custard pudding sounds quite ordinary or not your thing, but trust me, you haven't tried one of Sri Lanka's best-loved desserts. I'm a self-confessed dessert-aholic and one of my favourite sweets is crème caramel (pudding or
My parents do their daily and weekly shopping at the vegetable shop just down the road from their house. The thing about South Asian countries is that even though their produce is fresher than fresh, but because of the heat, things go...
It's been a while people, and I hope you've all been having a blast (as I'm sure you have). I, on the other hand, have had a slightly manic time especially since the worst thing that can happen to a food blogger has occurred. I...
You know it's the festive season when you start seeing images of Christmas puddings and mince pies everywhere in London. This year Heston Blumenthal of the three Michelin starred The Fat Duck in Bray produced an extra...
One of the things I keep coming across when reading English literature of the early 20th century is reference to something called 'the Gentleman's Relish'. Often in stories similar to those of P.G. Wodehouse or...
Lyons used to operate teahouses all over England in the early 20th century, only to begin shutting them down in the 1980s. To my eternal regret, I arrived in England too late to...
My daily dilemma as soon as I step through my office door is this: what to have for lunch? I work in the slap bang centre of London surrounded by loads of restaurants, cafés, pubs and delis. Chinatown...
You might have heard of a foul-mouthed chef named Gordon Ramsey. No? Just turn on the tv and you'll see him either swearing his head off at some poor sous...
Aubergines are one of my favourite vegetables and I will always choose an aubergine dish if I can at restaurants (except if there's beef, and I have to admit baba ganoush still defeats me)....
The French are famous for their cuisine and although it seems a daunting task to find the diamonds amongst the gazillion eateries in Paris, we had our trusty mother-- with her Japanese travel guides-- who took us seemlessly...
You didn't think we'd go to Paris and go on a sugarless diet, did you? Of course you didn't. Angelina's is a famous pâtisserie on rue de Rivoli across from the Tuileries Garden.We went there the first time we visited Paris as a...
It's been universally acknowledged that August is the month of sloth. Is that a problem for me? Jamais! My parents are in town and apart from my mother who doesn't seem to understand the word lazy,...
August is the month of sloth so we rolled into Wembley, north London for a laaazy Sunday brunch at Sakonis. Surrounded by shops selling everything South Asian from sarees and cricket...
I went for a lazy summer holiday to the Bavarian capital of München to visit two school friends, both of whom I've known for over 20 years. Oh yes, we've been lazing around together since we first...
It's the tail end of July and we're still experiencing hot! Hot! Heat! in London. So what better way to chill out than with a slight twist to my all time favourite noodle, the tempura udon. London's finally got...
As it's hot, Hot, HOT in London at the moment, dinners have generally been cool affairs: cold noodles, salads and a tonne of watermelon. I fear I'll be growing a watermelon soon....
London is scorching this week and what better way to spend a weekend than by getting a bit of sunny goodness with an absorbing book at Waterlow Park, next to Highgate Cemetary where my father's hero, Karl Marx, is buried. I get...
Summer seems to be a fickle thing here in muggy London. Not sunny enough for a picnic but warm enough for some chilled beer so we headed off to Belgo Noord for some moules, frites et bieres. Just north of...
Seems as though I'm only interested in sandwiches, but it's not true. But I am rather fussy when it comes to my sarnies. No soggy sandwich for me. Ideally, I would have either fresh bread, just toasted, with some ham,...
