pho search continues...

i am still searching for that really authentic bowl of pho (vietnamese beef noodle soup). this past weekend, i think i got just a little closer.

i read some decent reviews on viet grill, so polly and i decided to try out their pho. instantly we both noticed that almost all of the patrons were caucasian, usually not a good sign, but we reminded ourselves of the good reviews we read. however, we were comforted when we saw an authentic bottle of sriracha chili sauce with the rooster label which was made in rosemead, california! definitely a good sign.

we asked the waiter where they get their sriracha sauce. he responded, "i don't know. i just put it on the table."

i love ordering the cha gio (fried spring rolls) as a tasty starter. they were nicely fried accompanied with a few leaves of lettuce, perfect to wrap them and dip them in the fish sauce.

the pho was topped with green onions and chopped cilantro. eventually our waiter brought us a side plate of bean sprouts, cilantro, and lemon wedges. first things first... i sipped a spoonful of broth. not as flavorful as i would have liked, but it was satisfactory. then i fished to the bottom of the bowl for the noodles. strangely, the rice noodles were all short like someone cut them up.

overall, the pho was nicely flavored, but it still wasn't the same as i've had in california. i've decided that i may never find the perfect bowl of pho. so my next mission is to make my own pho.

so the search continues for that satisfying bowl of pho.

valentine biscuit

thankfully here in the UK, we are not inundated with red hearts, flowers and everything else to remind you of valentine's day.

however, today at lunch, a colleague brought to lunch this personalized biscuit (in the UK, cookies are known as biscuits) made by his lovely wife.

it was such an adorable gesture so i immediately rushed back to my office to get my camera. i asked permission from my colleague to take a picture.

i prefer these homemade gestures for valentine's day.

happy valentine's day!

mexican chalupa!

i miss mexican food, so it was a treat to have ben's chalupas while watching nfl football in england! his chalupa starts off with a bed of crushed tortilla chips, then a layer of pulled pork and beans that he had slow cooking for some hours, then tomatoes, lettuce, grated mild cheddar and topped off with salsa. mmm... i need to get the recipe from him.

while we enjoyed our chalupas, we watched both nfc/afc championship games recorded from sunday.

i felt very american that night.

get snogged

while in london last week, polly and i walked by snog, which is like pinkberry in the states. at first, i was intrigued by the name, snog, which means "to kiss" within the british culture. we decided to go there for dessert after dinner.

they provide samples upon request. their flavors that day were original, green tea, and blueberry.

i ordered the smallest serving of natural with no toppings. i prefer the original yogurt flavor the best.

just for the name, i would go back, but definitely, i'm happy to discover a pinkberry equivalent in london.

la duree, s'il vou plait

one of my favorite desserts has to be the french macarons which i had in paris in 2004. la duree has a few locations in paris, and i discovered they also have a bakery in harrods of london.

on my back from cambridge, i stopped by harrods. it took me awhile to get to the food area, but i came upon la duree. they have a beautiful assortment of flavors including pistachio, vanilla, black currant with violet, caramel with superfine salt, chocolate, just to name a few.

i've had macarons in the states as a number of bakeries have attempted to copy the french macarons, but i must confess that the best macaron i've had is from la duree. the exterior is light and flaky. the inside is soft and tender. each bite is an amazing flurry of flavors and textures.

i may not be able to find good pho, but at least i can have french macarons here in england.

bodeans in london

not only do i love food, but i love football. i should clarify, american football. right now we're in the middle of playoffs.

my friend, polly, found out about a kansas city bbq restaurant in london that was televising the chicago bears/ seattle seahawks game on the tele (how the british say it).

so we made our way to bodeans in the soho district of london. we started with nacho chips and their homemade dip of guacamole and salsa as well as a 1/2 order of their buffalo wings. what i'm learning is nothing comes together. the chips are separate from the guacamole and salsa. you have order everything individually. with the wings we should have gotten spicy b/c mild was really mild, really not even spicy at all. but there were good.

for the main meal, we decided to split the soho special which was pulled pork in their homemade bbq suace with a side of fries (they actually call it fries not chips). the sandwich was very meat and very filling! the fries were seasoned with a bit of sweetness which complimented the pork really nicely.

i would definitely go back to bodeans for football but definitely for the food.

in search of pho

my friend, polly, and i are in search of good pho (vietnamese rice noodle soup) here in the UK. coming from southern california, it was really easy to eat amazing pho b/c of the large vietnamese community there.

i did some research online and found mekong restaurant in the pimlico area.

for starter, we ordered their cha gio (fried spring rolls). polly did ask how many rolls we would get with one order, and we discovered one order is one roll. so we ordered two rolls. the rolls were very nice and crunchy.

we both ordered a small pho, and it was literally small. in the states, i can never finish a whole bowl of pho, but i have to remember, this is not america. so small meant really small. the first thing i did was sip a spoonful of broth. taste? eh.. not the best broth i've had. we had to ask for lemon and hot sauce, and surprisingly, they did not carry sriracha sauce. what kind of vietnamese restaurant doesn't carry sriracha suace? maybe i should bring my own. i'll be like those korean moms who bring red pepper paste sauce to seafood houses for their shrimp and lobster.

overall, we were both disappointed with the pho, and we were not satisfied.

so... the search continues.