Comptoir Libanais

I live very close to Westfiled Shopping Mall, and often end up eating at the upstairs foodcourt, which is very good in the sense that it is good quality and fills you up. I always passed Comptoir Libanais, but never tried it because I am a sucker for Pho, which is right next to it. On a recent visit to South Kensington awaiting the fabulous Yanni Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, my friends and I wanted to grab a quick bite to eat, so we ended up in Comptoir Libanais. My expectation was very generic Lebanese food, nothing special, expected everything to be dry, but I was completely wrong. The Mezze Platter was very delicious, with generous portions of babaganuj, houmous, tabbouleh, lentil salad and falafels. But the star dish was the Chicken Kofta. I love Chicken Kofta, which is difficult to find as most places offer only lamb Koftas. The Kofta was grilled and came with a buttery rice and vermicelli. It was absolutely delicious. It was juicy and bursting with flavour. The best kebabs I have had to date are in Green Lanes and Newington Green, which I will write about in upcoming blogs, but this was definitely the best chain kebab place I have tried in a while. Note that Comptoir Libanais does not offer 'off the grill' menu in all sites, and sadly not in Westfield. But if you do locate one that looks big, go in and try their wonderful food. Also, I can never resist a good Bloody Mary, and they make theirs with a Harisa pepper sauce. It does not get any better than that. So enjoy!!

That dessert!

Quite often what happens when you live in London is you go into a restaurant, not really knowing what to expect and not remembering what you had at the end. I hate forgettable experiences like that as I feel it is a waste of appetite and money; I get very hungry after work, and end up eating anything and not really enjoying it. This happens quite a lot with me and Italian restaurants I've noticed, I suppose, being Bangladeshi, I must have large amounts of carbohydrates everyday. But there is this one restaurant, Wildwood, which is a chain serving very ordinary Italian style dishes, such as pasta, pizza, but has this one dessert that blew my mind. It is actually quite simple: Chocolate Brownie with Mint Chocolate Ice Cream, topped with chocolate sauce. The rich chocolate brownie is served hot, with an unbelievable gooey centre, with Mint Chocolate Ice Cream; now, this specific flavour of ice cream I think does the trick, as most places will offer you the usual three boring flavours (Vanilla, Chocolate And Strawberry). But mint, which has an added sensation with chocolate chips, on top of that, the cold and hot combination, well, you get the picture. I actually went back to this place and had only the dessert, it is a must try! So if you're every craving some seriously good dessert, or experiencing lonely days, grab some of this delightful treat.

My love for food

After years of trying out different types of food and posting a million pictures on Facebook, I have finally decided to blog about it. I have been lucky to live in London, which being so cosmopolitan has allowed me to try a variety of cuisines; also because I'm Bangladeshi, I grew up eating incredible food! So this blog is about interesting places I go to, be it for very fancy fine dining or cheap street food, I aim to share with you what I love and also what I hate, things that bring back childhood memories, pictures, recipes, tips and tricks from my favourite chefs (celebrities, family and friends), and lots more. So here it goes!   The first dish that gets the honour of inaugurating my food blog is 'Sindhi Chicken Biriyani' from 'Taste of Lahore', a tiny kebab house located near Harrow Shopping Mall. I personally have suffered for a long time in London, not finding THE biriyani that really hits the spot. But this dish, which costs about the same as your ordinary take away Biriyani is bursting with flavour. It has fresh chillies that are seriously hot, little bits of lemon rind, so you get bitter and sour, then the sweetness of dried plums and tomatoes, which I think makes it extra special. I am sure it is wok fried, which gives it a freshness and I assure you that you will start to crave it often once you've had it. I live very far from Harrow, but I still make the commute to go have this special dish every few months. Mind you, on my recent visit, I noticed another Lahori kebab place open up right near this one, so don't be fooled. This one is called 'Taste of Lahore, on station road, and it is always crowded, so you will get it. So people! Enjoy! And make sure to order a glass of Mango Lassi for the ultimate experience ;)