The Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream

I don’t have a sweet tooth but a place that caught my eye since the first time I saw it was Chin Chin Laboratorists. Europe’s first liquid nitrogen ice cream parlour, located in Camden Lock market, usually pretty packed with long queues. Opened from Tuesdays to Sundays from noon to seven. 

No queue

Options

It happened that I was wandering around and the place was empty no queue at all, so went inside and give it a go. First you choose your ice cream base, the choices during my visit were vanilla, chocolate, deep fried apple doughnut, and purple grape soda. I went for the Valrhona chocolate, described as a dense and rich flavour, fudgy ganache with more chocolate than cream, 80 per cent from Coeur de Guanaja, then they turn the blender, add a bit of milk, the minus 200 Celsius liquid nitrogen, and you got your ice cream, finally you customise with handmade toppings and sauces, I went for the berries one. 

Ready to mix the ingredients

Pour some sugar, sorry nitrogen

A bit more

Almost ready

Absolutely perfect, the ice cream was creamy, the flavour was great, now I know the reason of the long queue, it is one of the coolest places in Camden for sure, simply awesome. They explained the process of using liquid nitrogen is so fast that doesn’t let the formation of ice, and you get the smooth creamy texture. 

Final product

A must if you’re in Camden, worth the visit and even the queue. 

Satellite view

Ice cream reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Apology” 

Hank: Guys, there's no doubt that the pay is good. But I don't just know if I see myself working with ice cream

Man: You get pretty buff forearms

Hank: I don't know if I'm into that

George: Oh, hello, Hank, others

Hank: George

George: You know, Jason, I, uh, I couldn't help notice, I didn't get my apology

Hank: Apology? For what?


George: A drafty apartment? A sweaterless friend? A ball game giveaway Metlife windbreaker?


Hank: George, come on, not that neck hole thing

George: Yeah, the neck hole thing, and I would appreciate it if you would say you're sorry

Hank: No way, you would've completely stretched it out

George: You're an alcoholic! You have to apologize. Step Nine! Step Nine

Hank: All right, George, all right. I'm sorry. I'm very, very sorry. I'm so sorry that I didn't want your rather bulbous head struggling to find its way through the normal-size neck hole of my finely knit sweater

Chin Chin Laboratorists

T: 078 8560 4284

Ice Cream

Approx Damage: £5pp

Area: Camden Town

Borough: Camden

Twitter: ChinChinLabs

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Cachapas in Camden

Weather hasn't been nice with Londoners during the last weeks but I had to visit my friend Augusto's new food stand in Camden Lock Market Cachapa Kingdom. Yes the same one of Arepa & Co who prepares amazing Venezuelan arepas in London, now he has a new addition to his repertoire Venezuelan cachapas. 

Cachapa stall

A cachapa is some sort of sweet corn pancake, fresh ground corn mixed with a thick flour battered and cooked as a crepe or pancake, we usually eat cachapas for breakfast or diner, sometimes after a night out drinking. Traditionally we fill it with a special white cheese (Queso de Mano), Augusto sourced an Italian mozzarella that works perfect and it’s quite similar in texture and flavour to our cheese, the proof that it works is that he hasn't received any complaints from Venezuelans so far when they try the cheese, and I assure you we are quite picky with that. 

Possible combinations

You can have other traditional fillings including cheddar cheese, roasted vegetables (not so traditional for us but an all time seller in London), and Augusto's grandma recipe of Carne Mechada (shredded beef). I got mine with mozzarella cheese and it was excellent.

Final product

If you’re around in Camden go there and have a try of Venezuelan cuisine you won’t regret it. 

Keep calm and go to Camden

Corn reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Cadillac” 

Susan: So, was George helpful at all? 

Elaine: Yeah. Oh, yes, yes, he was very helpful. Hmm, because, you know, Art and I were getting into this whole thing about his business. You know he's an importer-exporter 

Susan: Yeah 

Elaine: George felt that I was too adamant in my stand that Art should focus on the exporting and forget about the importing 

Susan: Wait a minute. I thought that Art wanted to give up the exporting 

Elaine: What'd I say? 

Susan: The importing 

Elaine: I did. Uh... 

Susan: So, what does he uh, import? 

Elaine: Uh... chips 

Susan: Oh... What kind of chips? 

Elaine: Potato 

Susan: Ah 

Elaine: Some corn 

Susan: And what does he export? Elaine: Diapers

Cachapa Kingdom (Arepa & Co)

Venezuelan Cuisine

Aprox Damage: £5

Area: Camden

Borough: Camden

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Venezuelan style in Camden Lock Market

One of my friends here in London has a Venezuelan food stall in Camden Lock Market. Arepa & Co offers since 2011 traditional Venezuelan food, Arepas and Pabellon every weekend in the trendy Camden Town. Go there and ask for Augusto “Gus” Salguero, and have a real treat of the Venezuelan cuisine.

The Stall

Your options there is basically Arepas, which is 100% Venezuelan corn bread filled with cheddar cheese “La Catira”, chicken avocado “Reina Pepeada”, shredded beef “Mechada”, black beans and cheese “Domino”, or any combination, where the more popular ones are “La Pelua” shredded beef and cheese or “La Sifrina” chicken avocado and cheese. Also you can try the Venezuelan national dish Pabellon, which is shredded beef, black beans, rice and fried plantains.

The Menu

Fillings for the Arepas

I had my favourite one the Reina Pepeada, excellent flavour, just like back home, you won’t get more traditional Venezuelan food than this in London.

Reina Pepeada

Bread reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Rye” where Frank Costanza took back a rye bread he gave to his future in laws as a present for dinner.

George: What is this? The marble rye?

Estelle: We forgot to bring it in.

Frank: No, I brought it in. They never put it out.

George: You stole the bread?

Frank: What do you mean stole? It's my bread. They didn't eat it. Why should I leave it there?

George: Because we brought it for them!

Frank: Apparently, it wasn't good enough for them to serve.

Estelle: People take buses to get that rye.

George: Maybe they forgot to put it out!

Frank: Aw, they didn't forget to put it out! It's deliberate! Deliberate, I tell ya!

Hi Sushi and the Amazing Race Latin America

For me sushi was an acquired taste, the first time I tried it I definitely hate it. I was with Reuter at his flat, a little bit tipsy after an afternoon drinking whiskey, we were going out probably with Nanin and Maria Gabriela or it might had been Piruetas, anyway Reuter’s sister ordered sushi delivery and gave us two nigiri to try. I ate it thinking it was something else, for me at that time it was just terrible. A few months or maybe years later (not sure) I got used to the taste, nowadays I can say I really like it.

During these last years in London I haven’t been in many sushi places yet, I went to Dinings after reading a review from Kang’s blog “LondonEater”, it’s a really nice place, the food is good, but it’s a little bit expensive, so if you're going be prepared to pay at least 40 quids. A month ago some of the Venezuelan gang here in London took me to Hi Sushi in Golders Green, they were talking about the place for months, an all you can eat sushi bar here in London, less than 14 quids, the menu gives you hot dishes and then you can repeat as many sushi and sashimi as you want, the food was good especially the hot dishes and the salmon skin roll, probably not as good and refine as Dinings but pretty decent and for just 14 quids it’s not bad.

Yesterday for Josue’s birthday the same group decided to come back, but this time to the one located in Camden Lock, we had a reservation at 9:30 but when we arrived they asked us to wait for 10 minutes for our table, seriously!!! I immediately had a flashback of Seinfeld episode when they go to a Chinese restaurant and they wait for hours, like Elaine said “you ever notice how happy people are when they finally get a table? They feel so special that they’ve been chosen. It's enough to make you sick!!”, well 15 minutes later we finally got our table, this time they failed to fulfill our expectations, we found the food not as good as the previous time, the tempura and hot dishes weren’t so great and the sushi and sashimi was ok but not as great as the one we had in their other restaurant, I guess we should give them a last chance to redeem themselves but not for at least a month, the only thing I can tell you it’s that I have never seen so much sushi and sashimi in my life, we ordered too much food this time.

I like to watch the TV from time to time, one of the shows I use to watch is "The Amazing Race". Two days ago I found out that Discovery channel in Latin America bought the rights of the show and they are doing their spin off but only in Latin America with teams from different countries of the continent, what was my surprise to see on youtube the casting video of two of my friends for the second season of “The Amazing Race LA” I spent the whole day laughing, I knew my friends were a little bit eccentric and crazy but definitely these two are beyond that point. So if you speak Spanish here is the video for your entertainment.