The Hungry Bedouin
Last weekend we decided to head into London. It was raining so we thought we would keep warm and dry and catch up on some real live shopping that we have not done for over a year and go to Westfield, Stratford. After an afternoon of walking around Westfield, we stopped for a light snack.
The Hungry Bedouin is a Moroccan restuarant serving serving street food. I do not recall having eaten Moroccan street food before, this was a nice introduction.
We had m’smen stuffed with spinach and m’smen stuffed with tomato and onion followed by some baklava with mint tea. It was very nice and a lovely way to end the day.
M’smen stuffed with spinach and m’smen stuffed with tomato & onion 
Baklava 
Baklava and a pot of mint tea
Ginger Lounge
In July I had some annual leave booked, after my birthday weekend. I thought it would be nice to go out with one of my best friends and eat at a restaurant. It has been a while since this has been a normal activity completed without fear and nervousness. I decided that I needed to start living again so I booked a table for two at Ginger Lounge in Upminster. I’d never been there before but the online reviews were encouraging and I thought “let’s give it a try”
I was not disappointed, the food was tasty and atmosphere calm and relaxing. I ordered Lamb Lazizi for my mains and Indian ice cream for dessert.
It was so nice to eat food I had not cooked myself! It was nice to be out with a friend and just chat and just pass the time.
I feel like I might well come back here again. It felt quite cozy and welcoming. Let’s see shall we.
Wagamama
There is always a queue to get in!
Well it seems it is worth the wait. After watching ‘Old’ at the cinema with my friend, we headed towards Wagamama to get some food. I ordered grilled duck donburi. It was I suppose, just, OK, although I did finish the whole bowl. My problem, ‘discovered’ the small bowl of kimchee at the end!
tender, shredded duck in a spicy teriyaki sauce. mixed with carrots, mangetout, sweet potato and red onion on a bed of sticky white rice and topped with a crispy fried egg, cucumber and spring onions. served with a side of kimchee
Honey & Co
It’s hard to believe that we are mid-way through August already. 2021 is whizzing by at incredible speed. Before I catch my breath, it will be September!
This weekend started with an in impromptu gathering of old friends/colleagues. We all share a love of food from the team at Honey & Co, so when they invited me for lunch, I couldn’t say no, could I?
We started with the sharing menu
Yemeni style falafel with cucumber, chilli & mint salad, tahini
Creamy hummus, chilli garlic dressing, chickpeas, zehug & pitta
Labaneh with roasted courgette, pine nuts & herb salsa
Aubergine badargani – rolls of roasted aubergine filled with caramalised onions, pomegranate molassas & walnuts
Flat white peach & goats’ cheese salad, almonds & orange blossom dressing Cheesy bouikos, house pickles, Kalamata olives, bread & olive oil
For my mains I chose the pomegranate molasses roasted chicken and for dessert, chocolate terrazzo cake.
Pomegranate molasses roasted chicken with bulgur wheat, currant & mint salad, roasted pistachios 
chocolate terrazzo cake (three layers of pure joy: chocolate, nuts & tahini) served with cold oat milk
I thought I would be uncomfortably full after all the food. I was not. I was pleasantly full. I was content and my heart was full of joy. It was not just the food but the company. I have not seen these ladies since last year and it was so nice to see them face to face, to chat and laugh. We seemed to laugh all afternoon, it was such a nice feeling.
I hope we can meet up and do this again.
