MY CHRISTMAS EXPERIENCE

Hello everyone,

First I would like to point out that I had a goal of 30 posts for the year 2014 and I am so glad I met my goal YAAAAAAY!!!

So for my last and 30th post for the year, I would like to share with you all my Christmas experience. In my last post, I mentioned how Christmas was not complete for me without Jollof rice, plantain, chicken and Nigerian salad. This year, Christmas was very different for me. I spent Christmas with my second family and my aunty decided that we were going British and African this year.

In the morning, I had a continental breakfast of toast, baked beans, chicken sausage, salmon and fried eggs. For lunch, I had Pounded yam, vegetable soup, turkey and beef. It was definitely not the Christmas meal I expected but I was glad I had it. It was a new experience and I would definitely be doing more of this in the future:)

CHRISTMAS LUNCH

CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST

In the Christmas spirit, my friends and I went to Wagamama Restaurant (a Japanese restaurant) on Boxing day. We ordered the sweet and chilli squid for starters and the chicken firecracker for our main course. It was a really good meal and very spicy if I must add. 

CHILLI SQUID

CHICKEN FIRECRACKER

I had a lovely time with family during Christmas and there was definitely more food than I posted but I forgot to take pictures:(:( I hope we all and are still enjoying our Christmas holiday:):)

               HAPPY NEW YEAR IN ADVANCE EVERYONE!!!

                                                                           WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD-JUNKIE GIRL:)

What is your favourite Christmas Meal??

Hello everyone,

It is the Christmas season and I must say I am really excited. I would love to say,

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL:):):) I pray this season brings nothing but Joy and Happiness to you all:)

For me, Christmas is the time when I celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and enjoy the holiday with family. I must say, since I was old enough to know what is what, Christmas has never been complete without having my plate of Jollof Rice, Plantain (dodo), chicken and Nigerian salad. Any time I am home with family, I always have the responsibility of preparing the salad and it turns out great:)

So my favourite Christmas meal is JOLLOF RICE, NIGERIAN SALAD, PLANTAIN AND CHICKEN:):)

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS MEAL????? WHAT DOES CHRISTMAS MEAN TO YOU??


                                                                                     WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD JUNKIE GIRL

Going the Mexican Way

Today I wanted to try something I had never tried before for lunch and I am so happy I took the bold step. On my way back from the bank, I saw a Mexican Restaurant called Chilango. On the window, it said 'Best Mexican Restaurant in London' so in my head I was like, 'sure, why not'. 

The menu had options of Burrito, Tacos, Nachos and Nudos meals. I decided to go for a Nudo meal:) It was rice with black beans, sour cream and cheese, salsa and a choice of meat. As it was my first time, I asked the man who attended to me for advise on the best option. So he encouraged me to get the pulled pork, hot sauce instead of salsa and crunchy peppers instead of black beans. I really enjoyed my lunch. It was very filling and not expensive at all:) I would definitely be trying a Burrito or taco meal soon:) I mean it is not everyday chips and chicken or special fried rice LOL

As usual, I took a few pictures..enjoy:) (not very clear, forgive me)

                                                                                WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD-JUNKIE GIRL:)

Fast food review; Five Guys

Hello everyone,

It is exam season and finals are coming soon:(:( but to de-stress I decided to have lunch at Five Guys today:):) My first experience at Five Guys was in Maryland, USA. It was so amazing and I always looked out for Five guys in London but I never really came across one. I did not find one not because there wasn't any in London but I never had the opportunity to be in an area that had one. Finally, Five guys opened on the street were I walk pass almost everyday yippee:):)

Five Guys is a fast food restaurant that serves burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and fries. I know that definitely doesn't sound healthy but sometimes we all need that 'fatty food' like I did today:)
So, I walked into the restaurant and was warmly welcomed by a lady at the door giving out their menu and smiling. That was definitely a good sign for me and impressed me. There was a queue but it did not take up to 2 minutes before I was attended to. Two very nice ladies took my order(just one order lol) and I waited for a few minutes (not more than 5 mins) to get my food. I was really impressed by their service.

The restaurant was clean and very spacious, good music in the background and you could hear one man shouting out order numbers every one minute lol

The food was really good as usual. I ordered a hamburger with different toppings (you choose the toppings  you want) with fries and a drink. It all cost a tenner (10 pounds) though the bigger portions were definitely more expensive. I ordered the little portions but I was shocked how filled up I was after. I am definitely going back there but next time to try the hot dogs or sandwiches. They also have bags of peanuts which are for free to everyone. I think it is a unique feature they have from other fast food restaurants. The peanuts are a a bit salty though:(

I would rate this place a 9 out of 10 just because I think a 10 is too much haha but seriously, I recommend this place to everyone. I hope one day they open restaurants in Nigeria like KFC and Dominos have:)

                                                                           WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD-JUNKIE GIRL:)

MY FOOD COLLAGE!!

Hey,

It has been a while since I posted anything:(  I have been swamped with school work and other activities. As busy as I am, I always get a chance to eat hehehe. So today, I have a couple of food pictures to share with you all. I selected the best meals I have had from all the food I have been feeding myself with in the last couple of days.

Due to my busy schedule, The only meal I have been able to cook is Indomie noodles and Fried egg (most students should totally understand this). The rest of my meals are from different restaurants depending on my location at that  time.



The is green curry fried rice with grilled chicken from Busaba Ethai (Thai restaurant), It is definitely my best meal of all and if you remember, I am so in love with green curry meals:)

This is my staple meal. I always have this almost every night. Indomie noodles is so easy and quick to cook and goes so well with fried egg and onions:):) Specially made in my kitchen LOL 

The is a burger meal from LEON, a small fast food restaurant. The chips were great but I did not really enjoy the burger:( It was supposed to be a chicken burger but I do not think they got it right.

 This is stir fried Chinese noodles from  a fast food restaurant called CHOP WOK. You get the chance to decide what ingredients and sauces you want in your noodles. I chose chicken, prawns and vegetables. P.S; always ask for chilli with your meal, it makes it taste way better.

This is a chicken pasta meal with peas and a side of bread:) This was really good and I felt like I was eating healthy because I had my peas on the side with a bottle of water hehehehe

This is chicken and chips with salad:) Always a great idea to have some sort of vegetable with your meal:):)

                                                                               WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD-JUNKIE GIRL:)

The Perks of road side food trucks

I do not know about anyone else but I think road side food trucks are one of the best things to be created by man. It is sad that I do not get to see as much in London but I always see a lot when I travel to other cities outside London.

I love road side food trucks because they always have delicious meals, very affordable (less than a tenner, sometimes less than 5 pounds) and in large quantities. I think the fact that they do not have to make the food in such large quantities like restaurants gives them an edge in quality and freshness.

My best experience was at Coventry City Center. My friend and I were hungry and he encouraged me to buy a hot dog at a food truck. I was amazed by the large size of the hot dogs that were grilled to perfection plus the bread was so soft and fresh :) The best part was it was less than 5 pounds :)

If you find yourself in Coventry anytime, you should definitely go to the city center and get one:)

DON'T THEY LOOK SO YUMMY?!?!?!

                                                                                      WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD-JUNKIE GIRL:)

Burgers and Lobsters; overhyped or underrated?

Hello everyone,

Before yesterday, I had always seen pictures and reviews of the famous 'Burgers and Lobsters' restaurant; the food, price and personal experience. It always got me so gassed and excited and I could not wait to go there. I finally got the chance to have dinner at this famous restaurant yesterday courtesy of my friend who celebrated her birthday there.

We went to the one located in Soho, London. I do not know if it is the same in their other restaurants but this one had a very nice decor. There was a long queue outside of people waiting to get in. I was a bit put off by the lobster in the water tank beside me especially because I was going to eat a lobster :(. My friend rubbed it in all night about how I had eaten the cousin to the poor animal tied up in the water tank :(

The service was splendid and the waiter was so nice and funny:) The drinks menu had a lot to choose from which was very good. I had an 'afbab' cocktail (I think that is what it is called lol) which was recommended by the waiter. It was definitely a good choice and was a splendid combination with my food. At this time, I was still very excited about being there and all the hype was definitely worth it.

After a while, the waiter came to ask what we wanted to eat, I was confused because we had not been given a food menu yet. To my surprise, he said the only food options were; grilled or steamed lobster meal, a burger meal or a lobster roll meal. I could not believe it! In my head, all I could think of was 'Is that all to the famous Burgers and Lobsters?!?!?. I was a bit discouraged but I guess I should have expected it, I mean it should have been obvious from their name LOL. The food portion was good and filled me up though some people felt like the lobster could have had a bit more flesh. I liked the idea of using a 'beep' so you do not get your outfit stained. The lobster was alright but the lemon and garlic sauce made it taste so much better:)

Overall, the food was okay but I think I expected more after all the hype people had given it before then and how hard it usually is to get a seat in the restaurant except you make a reservation. The price was not so bad but if you do not plan to spend more than 10-15 pounds on dinner then you definitely do not want to go there. Drinks were free so yaay but I think that was because my friend paid for our drinks (I am not sure).

In my opinion, Burgers and Lobsters is a good restaurant but it is definitely overrated X_X. It is also definitely not an ideal place for a first date with all the hand involvement in trying to crack the shell LOL

Some pictures from the dinner(sorry they are not so clear:( )

FAB COCKTAIL:)

FAMOUS GRILLED LOBSTER MENU

                                                                                    WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD-JUNKIE GIRL

And the winner for authenticity and best reviews is???

THE WINNER

I have finally realized that I am so in love with Thai Cuisine. Nowadays, I prefer it to Chinese food and always find myself craving for it. It is so much healthier, has less fats and oil and more spicy food varieties. I might be biased but for me, the best cuisine for authenticity and great reviews is THAI FOOD. It is not as cheap as Chinese food or other cuisines but trust me it is definitely worth the money. I also noticed that a lot of its restaurants are very warm and small giving off that relaxed and soothing feeling.

Thai Square in London got the Best Thai Restaurant Award for 2014 yaaaaay:):):)
So, I found out about a Christmas promo they are having this year and I would not want to miss out on this if I were you (you can find more info online).

In celebrating my love for Thai food, I tried a different meal this time around (I remember I had an earlier post on Thai cuisine on my green curry experience). I have had their green curry meal, Singapore noodles and their lunch box menu that comes with spring rolls, curry, rice, crab cake and other yummy things. This time I ordered the 'PAD KHING'. It was pan fried pork, stir fried with shredded ginger, yellow beans, onions and mushrooms. I had the meal with egg fried rice late at night but yet I did not feel bloated or too full and that made me so happy. Normally if I eat late, I feel bloated or too tired but I felt good after eating this meal :)

PAN FRIED PORK AND EGG FRIED RICE

Before I forget, I saw this very creative design at a restaurant today. It was a wall made of different soda cans. It got me gassed because I had never seen such before LOL. I just had to share it with you all :)

so gassed :):):)

  

                                                                                      WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD-JUNKIE GIRL:)

Sweets and Sugars; they can make a difference!!

Hey guys

So today is not like the usual food sharing experience. The picture above shows all kinds of sweet desserts and tea; red velvet cake, chocolate cake, pancakes, fruit bread and more. This picture was taken today at my sisterhood connect group. We gathered together and shared all these baked goods with the aim of raising awareness and funds for the Macmillan Breast Cancer Awareness. It was such a wonderful experience and obviously I enjoyed munching on all of the food.

My aim for today is not just to share with you all what we ate at our group meeting but to use this as a medium to raise awareness not just about breast cancer but cancer in general. Cancer is a very deadly disease killing so many people around us. We definitely need to watch what we eat, keep healthy and get regular check ups at the hospital. A great way to help raise awareness about this disease and help those with cancer would be to gather your friends and family together to talk about this disease, ways to avoid it and donate funds to charities helping to tackle this disease. A lot of people love sweets, cakes, bread etc so it would definitely be an effective way to bring people together to discuss and raise donations:):)

Let us all find one way or another to help reduce this dreaded disease called cancer:):) xx

                                                                      WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD-JUNKIE GIRL:)

BREAKFAST AT WAGAMAMA!!

Hello guys,

Is there anyone looking for a new restaurant to have breakfast??or anyone who gets hungry at Heathrow Terminal 5 while waiting to board the plane??? or anyone who wants to try something different and not expensive?? If you are one of those asking any of these questions then I definitely recommend you go try the breakfast menu at Wagamama.

I got to the airport earlier than I had planned and was so hungry. After checking in and passing through security, I decided to go in search of food. I walked round and all I saw were sandwiches and crisps which were not enticing to me. I came across Wagamama. Usually I order the firecracker or chicken curry but this time, it was just 10 am so I could only have breakfast. I decided to go in to see what they had to offer. At first, I was going to order the usual English breakfast of eggs, baked beans, bacon,sausages and toast but then a picture of an omelette on my table caught my attention.

The omelette was called 'Okonomiyaki'. Wagamama is a Japanese restaurant so I was not very surprised by the name. It was an omelette filled with bacon, chicken, prawns, mushrooms, red cabbage leek served with mayonnaise, springs onions and Okonomiyaki sauce. I checked Google, and in Japanese it means 'grilled as you like it'. I started to wander if my eggs were grilled and not fried.

As the Nigerian that I am, I felt it was just eggs so I would not be as filled as I wanted to be so I ordered sausages on the side. To my surprise, the omelette was really big (reminded me of pancakes from my old dutch) and filling even without eating the sausages. It tasted very nice and it had a lot of chicken and prawns in it. I really enjoyed it and I must say, it was definitely worth the money:)

TRY IT OUT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK:)

                                                                                      WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD-JUNKIE GIRL:)

MY LAGOS ADVENTURES

Hello everyone,

It has been a long while since I posted anything. I was away in Lagos for a family engagement and during my stay I had the chance to explore various home cooked meals, snacks and traditional dishes. A few of them were; chicken stew, fried rice, jollof rice, plantain and owo soup and chicken and beef sharwarma. Rice is my favourite food so I ended up eating rice almost everyday during my stay in Lagos (its bad I know).

Since I was back home, my mum made me eat all the food I would normally not eat if I was in school. It was her own special way of welcoming me back home and I was so excited. I am sure most of you are wandering what plantain and owo soup is. It is a traditional dish from the Delta region in Nigeria. I come from Edo state which is not in the Delta region but my Edo people seem to really like it so my mum cooks it a lot. It is a really good dish and very easy to make too. It goes best with fish or snail:).

The beef and chicken sharwarma is a common snack all over Lagos. It is just like a chicken or beef wrap with vegetables, cream and any other thing you want to add to it. It is really good too and one of the best snacks in Lagos, after beef suya that is:)

RIPE PLANTAIN AND OWO SOUP WITH FISH

TASTEE FRIED CHICKEN:)

SHAWARMA ALL WRAPPED UP 

                                                           

INSIDE THE WRAPPER

FRIED  RICE AND CHICKEN STEW

                                                                                   WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD-JUNKIE GIRL

GOOD TIMES AT CABANA!!

Hey Guys,

The main reason for my post today is to share with you my experience at CABANA, a Brazilian restaurant in London but before I do that I have some things I would like to say;

First, I had to stop my 'HEALTHY FRIDAY' challenge due to unforeseen circumstances so there would be no posts about it till further notice. I plan to start again at the beginning of November or December:) To all those who were excited about reading posts about healthy eating, I am really sorry for the disappointment:(

Secondly, on Friday at my school cafeteria, Pepsi had a very cool and smart marketing strategy. I am sure we all know how Coke brought the impressive idea of allowing customers have their names on their coke cans and bottles (unfortunately, I have never been able to get my name on one). Now, Pepsi has come up with another idea. Instead of getting your name on your Pepsi bottle,you can get your face on the bottle. I personally think it is a splendid idea, though it seems like it might cost a lot if they plan on it being a long term project. My friends and I got our faces on our bottles and because we were so excited, we could not stop talking about it all day LOL. Has anyone else seen this else where?

Back to the main topic for today, CABANA:):):). On Friday night, my friend and I decided that instead of turning up, we should go out to explore and find a new restaurant to have dinner. It was definitely one of the best ideas ever because we found this really nice Brazillian Barbeque Restaurant called Cabana. The menu was quite good and had different food options; seafood, pork, chicken or beef. In the food menu, my friend who was so hungry decided to go for the RIBS PORK SKEWER while I ordered the SPICY MTUGUETA CHICKEN with BIRO-BIRO RICE (they say the rice was named after a famous footballer that loved eating the rice, who knew?!?!?). My meal was so tasty and spicy. I am not a fan of spicy food but this time I made an exception and I was happy I did. From the drinks menu, my friend ordered a Cool Colada while I got a Red Tail Parrot cocktail (strange name eyy!?!?!).My cocktail was recommended to me by the waiter since I was having a hard time deciding what to get. Since I was not full, I decided to get dessert too (I am such a foodie LOL). I ordered a Caramel Flake Sundae which was too sweet. I have a sweet tooth and the dessert was to sweet for me. I definitely recommend this restaurant to everyone:). It was quite pricey but definitely worth it.

The quality of the food would be a 10/10 but the quantity was smaller than expected. So, if you are really hungry, you would need to order a starter (I recommend the spicy prawns), a main course and a dessert to be full:)

RIBS PORK SKEWER WITH HOMESLAW

SPICY MTUGUETA CHICKEN WITH RED TAIL PARROT COCKTAIL

CARAMEL FLAKE SUNDAE

I am definitely going back to that restaurant.Does anyone want to come with me????

                                                                                    WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD JUNKIE GIRL:)

BREAKING NEWS; FAT FREE MEALS AT SPUDULIKE!!!

Heyy guys,

I found out about the most exciting thing ever (maybe not the most exciting LOL).Remember my previous post on the jacket potatoes I bought at Spudulike for lunch and how I really enjoyed it?? I am sure you do!!! I came across another stand at the shopping mall plaza at Oxford Circus today. I did not buy food from there this time around but I saw their poster about how healthy their food is and I decided to share it with you.

So apparently, their jacket potatoes are very nutritious and contain vitamins, protein, calcium and iron but the best part is, it is virtually fat free YAY!! (i did not know that before hence the excitement).
To all the potatoe lovers out there who have to cut down on their potatoe intake so they do not add weight, you can feast on Spudulike jacket potatoes as much as you like:) Obviously, too much of everything is not good so I do not advise that you make it a daily meal but at least you can have it more than once or twice a week:)

P.S; When you do try it, please share your experience:)

Below is a picture of the poster....Sorry for the bad quality:( my phone decided to mess up today

SORRY FOR THE BAD PICTURE QUALITY:(

THE FAMOUS SPUDULIKE STAND:)

I hope everyone enjoys reading my blog and would keep sharing:):) Please if there is any food topic you would want me to talk about or post pictures about, please do not hesitate to ask. All you have to do is leave a comment below or on any other post:)

                                                                                 WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD-JUNKIE GIRL:)

DIM SUM ANYONE?!?!?!?!?

Hello everyone,

I realized I had not posted anything in a while, I guess I was having my writers block moment:( My sincere apologies for that but the good news is I am back now and ready to share, share, share!!!!

So earlier this week, my friend and I noticed a food store at my university that we had never seen before. They sold all types of Asian food but what got our attention was the large size Dim Sums they sold. They had different types which was very interesting and attracted us even more. They had pork and chinese leaves, beef, chicken and mushroom, pork and mushroom and some others that I cannot remember right now.

I have tried the beef Dim sum before at a Thai restaurant I went to sometime ago (I believed I shared my experience on it) so in the spirit of being experimental, I decided to go for the pork and chinese leaves and the chicken and mushrooms. I am not a fan of mushrooms but my friend recommended it so I decided to give it a go. The store was having a deal on dim sums so we got soy milk to go with it, which was cheaper for us. It was my first time trying Soy milk and I must say I liked it. I got the yellow bean soy milk while my friend got the black bean soy milk (looked like chocolate milk to me). We all know soy milk is the healthiest type of diary product and I was surprised to hear that the black bean soy milk helps your hair grow. Trust me, after that information, I am going to be feasting on soy milk everyday:)

It was quite a good combination and I really enjoyed it. The large size made it very filling. I definitely recommend the pork and chinese leaves dim sum. Though the chicken and mushroom was nice too, I did not really enjoy it because I could taste the mushrooms while I was eating it (lame excuse right?!? do not judge!!).

I hear Imperial University sells one of the best Dim Sum's and every one recommends it. So if you find yourself around South Kensington anytime, please go try some:) The dim sum food store is located near the student shop in the Sherfield Building:)

 

                       

                                   CAN YOU SEE THE BLACK BEAN SOY MILK AT THE BACK??

                                                

SOY MILK AND DIM SUM= YUMMY AND HEALTHY:)

YOU CANNOT SEE WHAT IS INSIDE BUT IT TASTES SO GOOD:)

                               

                                                                          WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD JUNKIE GIRL:)

PAELLA DISH AT THE FARMERS MARKET

Hey guys,

I must say that I am really enjoying my food journey and very excited that I get to share my experiences with everyone:) I am  also excited about the increasing number of views daily and I find myself going out of my comfort zone to try different things. In the spirit of going out of my comfort zone, today I decided to go for seafood for lunch rather than the usual chicken or beef.

My friends and I had lunch at the Farmers market at my university. The farmers market sold all sorts of meals;vegetarian meals,soups,chicken burgers, chicken wraps,pork and all sorts of desserts. Before I continue,I just need to share with you how amazed I was to see a full pig displayed today at the market. I had never seen such before. I think they were selling pork wrap so whenever a customer came to the stall, a part of the flesh was cut off by a sharp and big knife. If I did not love meat, I probably would have turned vegetarian at that moment.

POOR PIG:(

Anyway, we walked around for a while and then came across a stall where they sold Seafood Paella and it looked really good. It was rice with mussels, oyster, shrimps, fish and other types of seafood. I added parsley to mine and also had the option to add lemon but I did not want to (so with your own meal you can). It was reasonably priced which was encouraging. It tasted really good, well spiced and very filling plus healthy too. I would recommend you try it if you ever come across a farmers market especially if you are a fish lover. Unfortunately, for those allergic to fish, please stay away from it (I know people who are).

If you do not want to buy it, you can make it at home yourself. Jamie Oliver has a recipe online on how to make the meal (you just need to Google 'Jamie Oliver Seafood Paella Recipe'. Please check it out:)

Different sides of the seafood paella:)

I hope you try it out (buy or cook) and share your thoughts:)

 

                                                                                                WITH LOVE, YOUR FOOD-JUNKIE:)