Bistro 1847! Oh, you will be jealous!

I have found a vegetarian/vegan restaurant here in Manchester. Bistro 1847 - a hidden gem! Located not far from China Town, it has a good selection of vegetarian, vegan and Gluten free options, and of course everything is made of fresh, organic, locally sourced and non-genetically modified ingredients cooked to order. Did I miss any other trendy buzz words of a model health conscious sociopath? LOL!

For a starter I had Whole baked Blacksticks Whitehaven with crudités & breads...

...and as a main, I had beer battered halloumi, hand-cut chips & minted mushy peas (but instead of peas I have opted out for steamed greens).

-17C, The "Cool Cat" Walk and Ethiopian Cuisine in Toronto

While the thermometer indicated -17C outside, we have decided to go for a Cool Cat's stroll in Toronto. Although the name and the description on the toronto.com website suggest a very "sexy" evening out, in the nutshell it is a stroll down the Queen St. ("it" street in Toronto) from somewhere around University Ave. down to Roncesvalles Ave. Don't get me wrong, it is a very nice stroll with many contemporary (not your everyday "mom and paps" places) eateries and shop,  and Toronto at night has its own charm.

After a while, we stabled upon Addis Ababa restaurant specializing in Ethiopian cuisine. We were cold, hungry and never tried Ethiopian cuisine before, so we went in, into the sound of live jazz music and smell of Ethiopian coffee. The menu is quit simple with equal selection of vegetarian and meat dishes, the decor included portraits of generals, woman making bread in clay ovens, giraffes and other animals, with soothing soft  (live) jazz music in the background. The food itself is served in a traditional flat Ethiopian bread, not too spicy (not too blunt either) and very tasty. We tried Yeson Beye Ainetu, a selection (sample) of all vegetarian dishes, and finished with traditional Ethiopian coffee and fried banana. And the coolest thing about the place is that everything is eaten with your hands...

Till the next time.

Happy “Hanukkah”

Good morning my dear readers.

I have just returned from absolutely smashing week in Rotterdam. I've been working in Dutch office of Comsec Consulting and they have a pool table they call “Meeting Room”. Isn't it amazing?

I also had a chance to meet with Richard and Rob, whom I didn't see for ages...

Anyway, now I'm back in UK and there is so much going on. First, My friend Rob (another one) came over from Carlisle to dine on a dead chickens bodies at the morgue, ooops... Nandos. We had an excellent Saturday night together when Alyona went to a BP Christmas party. Nothing fancy, just Chinese takeaway, beer, whiskey and a very violent action movie (Die Hard 4.0).

Another thing that occupies me is upcoming Christmas. I need to get Hanukkah bush (it is also known as a “Christmas” tree) and some decoration for it. I was thinking of using doughnuts leftovers, you know, the one with strawberry, chocolate, maple, etc. coating, but my wife want to have some glass made balls.

Merry Hanukkah to you all, John.

Atlanta (Part 2)

OK... I'm not going to bore you to death with what I do in the office, information security. So, nothing special happened down here, in Atlanta GA. But what I do want to write about is food. Yesterday we went to Indian restaurant called Swapna, delicious! While it looks like a dive from the outside, this is actually a really nice Indian restaurant with attentive servers and delicious food. I have eaten Indian food all over the U.K. and this is truly one of the best I have ever had. The prices are very reasonable for the amount and quality of the food you get. I had a meat samosa for a starter and then Tandoori mixed grill (on the sizzling platter) which was spicy and delicious, and "Mango Kulphi" (had to look at the receipt to spell it) for the desert.

And today, I had THE MOST amazing steak ever! We went to Olde Mill Steakhouse near Cumberland mall in Atlanta. I had a 14oz rib eye (medium rare) piece with baked potato and butter and Caesar salad on the side. The steak was perfectly made with a bit charcoal taste (just amazing). All that was finished with Southern Comfort Pecan pie... A DREAM!

I think I said it before (4-5 years ago) that I will not eat meat unless it is a prime cut... I think I will actually do it...

OK... I will go and die quietly after all that food...

Christmas Diner with "YourMove" James Muir

Today we have been invited to Christmas dinner with Alyona's colleagues from "YourMove" James Muir (estate agency where she is working).
We went to Greek restaurant called "Kolossi" in the centre of London (56-60 Rosebery Avenue, London). The food and the company were EXCELLENT! Personally, it was one of the best restaurants I have been in London. It was small, cosy restaurant with home style kitchen and VERY Greek service (which is open and friendly).
We stayed there for almost 4 hours, eating and chatting away. During that time, there was never an empty table, so if any of you are planning to come over to eat make sure you book a table before.