Previously on The Blog About Nothing... in London!

  • stamaria Santa Maria
    Best Pizza in London
  • tapcoffee Tap Coffee
    Coffee time in Warren St
  • exmouthespresso Bean Review
    Exmouth Espresso Blend
  • kurobuta Kurobuta
    Japanese Tapas
  • oddonos Oddono's
    Gelato in Chiswick
  • smokehouse Smokehouse
    Mouthwatering Burgers and BBQ
  • firehouse No 197 Fire Station
    Complete disaster
  • irisandjune Iris & June
    Independent Coffee Shop in Victoria
  • coffeeguide The Not Official London Coffee Guide
    Humble take on the independent scene
  • dumdum Dum Dum Donutterie
    They don't have Cronuts but they do Cros
  • bonanza Bean Review
    Bonanza's Espresso Blend
  • moo Moo Cantina
    Lomito Time
  • chorbizarre Chor Bizarre
    Restaurant with personality
  • squaremilebelen Bean Review
    Square Mile's Belen Espresso
  • ottolenghi Ottolenghi
    Not as good as usual!
  • quantus Quantus
    European cuisine in Chiswick
  • pearlliang Pearl Liang
    About Time for a Chinese
Showing posts with label tequeños. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tequeños. Show all posts

Coffee Enquiry XXXI: Arepa And Co a Venezuelan Cafe in London

And at the Festivus dinner, you gather your family around, and you tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year
Frank Costanza (Seinfeld episode “The Strike”)

It’s Festivus celebration today, but I don’t want to talk about that I want to talk about Arepa & Co. A Venezuelan restaurant in London, where you can have Arepas, Cachapas, Venezuelan rum, and also a nice coffee.

Colourful Counter
Total relax
This is Gus and Kathy dream come true, a small and cozy place in Haggerston by the canal, colourful, with a friendly service, tropical and creative drinks made with Venezuelan Rum, and tasty food.

Lovely tequeños
The arepas are a must, my recommendation is to have the Reina Pepeada, nothing like chicken avocado. Cachapas are also really nice. All the food is excellent, homemade, Venezuelan style. Coffee is also quite good, I got a nice flat white, creamy, not so strong, with a nice latte art.

Arepa Time
Cheese Cachapa
Espresso Machine: La Marzocco
Beans: Nude
Score: 4/5

Flat White
Good coffee, great food, and lovely location, definitely the best way to celebrate Festivus, just be careful if you are selected to wrestle at the feast of strength. If you haven't tried Venezuelan food what are you waiting for? Arepa & Co is the right place for first timers.

Arepa & Co
T: 020 7923 3507
Venezuelan Cuisine
Approx Damage: £18pp
Area: Haggerston
Borough: Hackney
Twitter: ArepaAndCo


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Peruvian Takes London

A not so new place getting quite buzz in London is Peruvian cuisine restaurant and pisco bar Ceviche. I consider Peruvian food one of the best one, a truly fusion, had the luck in the past to visit Lima and it was a great culinary experience, so as soon as I saw Ceviche opened for business in the rainy city the only thing I could say was count me in. 

The Place
The founder Martin Morales, travelled across Peru finding the best recipes and across Britain for fresh fish. The offer the best Ceviche outside Lima which it’s a bold statement, but good to aim high. The place a narrow but long restaurant, at the front the ceviche bar with some stools, at the back white and aquamarine colour room with Latin American posters and some old photos. 

Inside
Poster
Tip Top
While waiting for my friend Anna I ordered a cusqueña and some Yucas, fried cassava with Huancaina sauce, nicely fried but they were tough instead of soft inside, probably they didn't boiled the cassava first, to make a truly remarkable fried yuca you must do the Heston thrice fried chips recipe basically, boiled them then fried it, that’s the way to keep it soft inside crunchy outside. 

Beer time
Yuca
Anna arrived so we decided to share some dishes two ceviches, the traditional one Don Ceviche and the Pulpo al Olivo. The traditional, sea bass, aji amarillo chilli tiger’s milk, and red onions, flavour was nice, then the Pulpo one, braised octopus thinly sliced, with a Peruvian olives sauces, this one was superb, the sauce was perfect, the olive flavours and some capers played perfect with the octopus. 

Don Ceviche
Octopus
Then we got some tequeños, a bit different to the ones we had in Venezuela, the dough they used was different, a wanton style, and the filling white cheese and some aji amarillo chilli while we use only a white cheese similar to a buffalo mozzarella, different but nice. Then we got heart anticucho, this is basically Peru street food 101, nicely cooked, traditional again, good flavour, next Jalea, a mix fried of prawns, squid, and fish with salsa criolla and anticuchera sauce, nice, nothing special, nicely fried, the sauces were good. Finally a Causa de Mar salad, a Peruvian potato cake topped with avocado, squid, and prawns, definitely the runner up of the day, pretty good flavours. 

Causa de Mar salad
Tequeños
Anticuchos
Fried seafood
Nice traditional flavours, loved the different sauces, small portions, prices a bit on the high side for the size of the dishes, probably the miniaturisation effect that London culinary scene is experienced in the last years. 

Peru reminds me the Seinfeld episode "The Calzone"

Kramer: You got cigars, huh 
Jerry: I got some Cubans for George's wedding. They were more than I wanted to pay for but what the hell 
Kramer: Oh yeah baby. What are these? Producto de Peru? Jerry if you think these are Cubans you have another thing coming 
Jerry: Peru, I paid $300 bucks for these. I could have bought a house in Peru for $300 bucks

Ceviche
T: 020 7292 2040
Peruvian Cuisine
Approx Damage: £30pp
Area: Soho
Borough: City of Westminster
Twitter: martinceviche
Ceviche on Urbanspoon


On top of Caracas

If you visit the Capital you have to go to El Avila, National Park that consist in mountainous region of the north central Venezuela, separating Caracas with the Caribbean Sea, and reaching a little bit more than 2.7 metres above sea level. You can go hiking, with an off road vehicle, or by cable car, have your pick. 

El Avila (© Copyright Top Tourist Sites)
There are plenty of things to do there, hiking expeditions, exercise in the famous Sabas Nieves, or enjoy a nice day and have lunch or dinner in Galipan. In Galipan you have breath taking views of La Guaira and Caracas, also you can wander around and have one of the best pork sandwiches around town, or just have some strawberries with cream. We decided to go to one of the most famous restaurants there Granja Natalia. 

Granja Natalia
The gang reunited (© Copyright Vero Chapellin)
The view
A place for relaxation and culinary treats, with the view of the Caribbean Sea, Chef Angel Sanchez Medina make sure to keep great standards with a menu of international flavours. We shared some Thai rolls, which were spot on, then as tradition we got some tequeños (cheese sticks), they were great, nice melted cheese, chicken skewers followed, they were quite good, with a peanut Thai sauce and coconut milk, finally a Spanish omelette (Tortilla), which was nicely prepared. 

Rolls
Tequeños
Chicken skewers
Tortilla
My starter was the famous Natalia soup, tomato cream with carrots, onions, roasted garlic, and finally roasted almonds, spectacular, the flavour was great, nice balance. Then I went for the T Bone, a perfectly cooked meat at the grill, great flavour again. 

Soup
T Bone
Meme eating a good looking ribs
All this mountain experience reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Pool Guy” 

Kramer: Hello and welcome to Moviefone! Brought to you by the New York Times and HOT 97. Coming to theatres this Friday... Kevin Bacon, Susan Sarandon, you've got to get me over that mountain! NOO! There's no higher place than... Mountain High. Rated R. If you know the name of the movie that you'd like to see, press 1

Granja Natalia
T: +58 416 308 2800
French / International Cuisine
Aprox Damage: BsF 250pp
Area: Galipan
Vargas
Twitter: granjanatalia


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