My love for Asian food goes way back, but moving to London and having Chinatown with authentic Asian cuisine right on my doorstep has made my heart grow even fonder. Dumplings, sticky rice, buns... I could eat them every day! Unfortunately, I haven't managed to sample all Chinatown offerings just yet (although I'm trying), but I've been around frequently enough to already have some favourites.

Azijska hrana mi je bila že od nekdaj všeč, odkar živim v Londonu, kjer imam avtentično azijsko kulinariko v londonski kitajski četrti takorekoč za vogalom, pa jo naravnost obožujem. Kitajski 'žlikrofi', polnjen lotosov list z rižem in mesnim nadevom, topli kruhki, rezanci... samo pišem pa se mi že cedijo sline! Na žalost mi vseh restavracij in trgovinic še ni uspelo obiskati (delam na tem), vendar sem jih preizkusila dovolj, da imam že nekaj svojih najljubših kotičkov. 



Dumplings' Legend is where my love for dumplings was first born, so I might be a bit biased, but that doesn't mean their food isn't tasty - I've been to the restaurant countless of times and have never had a bad meal. Their menu is extensive, including meat, seafood, rice and noodle dishes, but the stars of the show are definitely their soup dumplings (xiao long bau), which are prepared from scratch in-house - you can even watch them being made. The feel of the restaurant is quite touristy I have to say,  with tables almost too close together and a rather rushed service, but if you're looking for a good all-rounder food-wise, it's a good place to go for a quick lunch. Dumplings, of course, are a must-try!

V Dumplings' Legend sem se prvič zaljubila v kitajske žlikrofe, zato sem mogoče malo pristranska, to pa niti slučajno ne pomeni, da njihova hrana ni okusna. Restavracijo sem obiskala res že neštetokrat in niti enkrat nisem odšla razočarana. Na jedilnem listu se najde vse možno, od mesnih, morskih in riževih jedi do klasičnih rezancev, izstopajo pa njihovi sveže pripravljeni jušni žlikrofi (soup dumplings/xiao long bau). Res so božanski, pa še opazuješ lahko, kako jih delajo - v živo. Restavracija sama je precej turistično naravana, z mizami skoraj pretesno skupaj in na trenutke malce 'sunkovito' postrežbo (na splošno je postrežba v tukajšnjih kitajskih restavracijah bolj na horuk), vendar dobra izbira za hitro kosilo z vidika raznovrstne ponudbe.


Orient London is my latest discovery, but one I'll definitely be visiting regularly. The modern decor and a classier vibe make it the perfect place to go for what you'd call a nicer meal, and their dim sum is on another level. In-cre-di-ble. Some of my favourite dishes from the menu include baked mini roast pork buns, caviar shanghai dumplings, thai style squid cakes and glutinous rice in lotus leaves. Their dim sum is unfortunately only available during lunch time, but if you're stopping by for dinner, fear not, they have plenty of other things on the menu that didn't look half bad either. Yes, guilty as charged - I was totally checking out other people's plates.

Orient London je moje najnovejše odkritje, ampak imam občutek, da bo restavracija kmalu postala moja stalnica. Prepričali so me modernejši dizajn, bolj sproščeno vzdušje in njihov dim sum - najboljši kar sem jih jedla. Moje najljubše poslastice z menija so pečene štručke s svinjinskim nadevom (baked mini roast pork buns), šanghajski žlikrofi s kaviarjem (caviar shanghai dumplings), ocvrte tajske lignjeve tortice (thai style squid cakes) in lepljiv riž v lotosovem listu (glutinous rice in lotus leaves). Njihov dim sum je na žalost na voljo samo za kosilo, ampak mislim, da vas tudi pestra večerna ponudba ne bi smela razočarati. Ko sem vrgla uč na ostale krožnike, je vse zgledalo zelo vabljivo. 

Next are bakeries, where I go for my proper carb fix. Asian savoury buns and sweet treats are, believe it or not, a lot more similar to the Slovenian soft, buttery pastry and moist cakes than the British counterparts, which I often find too dry and covered in yucky icing sugar rather than delicious cream. I normally stop at either Chinatown Bakery or Bake - they're both oozing with mouth-watering goodies! One thing that sets Bake apart, though, is the Japanese Taiyaki ice-cream - that vanilla or green tea flavoured swirl in the cutest fish cone you can see all over Instagram. Tried and tested, I have to say it isn't just a pretty face, but a taste bud pleaser too; however, a note of caution - it melts like no other. Make sure you have a pack of wet tissues in your bag!

Obiska vredne so tudi njihove valilnice pregrešnih ogljikovih hidratov - pekarne. Raj (pa tudi pekel, če pomislim na kalorije) za kruhovce kot sem jaz! Azijsko slano pecivo in slaščice so, verjamete ali ne, veliko bolj podobne našim slovenskim kot pa njihove angleške verzije, ki so meni ponavadi presuhe in preveč obložene s sladkorno glazuro. Jaz še vedno prisegam na 'žonftne' tortice s sladko smetano. No, nima veze. Pekarni, v katerih se ponavadi ustavim, sta Chinatown Bakery in Bake. Obe se ponašata z bombetkami, ki se kar topijo v tvojih ustih, medtem ko ima Bake na voljo še en dodaten slasten prigrizek - sladoled z okusom vanilije ali zelenega čaja v japonskem Taiyaki kornetu v obliki ribe. Brez skrbi, okusa po ribi na srečo nima. Sladoled in kornet nista samo fotogenična ampak tudi zelo okusna, edino paket vlažilnih robčkov moraš imeti nujno s sabo, ker se topi s svetlobno hitrostjo. 

Entering an Asian supermarket in Chinatown is like entering another world - it always makes me feel like I've teleported myself to Southeast Asia. Frozen dumplings and cute-looking desserts is what I personally normally stock up on, but they sell everything from tropical fruits, veggies I've never even heard of, a hundred types of noodles, Asian sauces, frozen everything... the sky is the limit! I have to admit I'm not an expert on Asian supermarkets, but my flatmate says SeeWoo is the best on the block.

Vedno ko vstopim v azijski supermarket, se mi zdi, kot da sem se znašla v nekem drugem svetu, sredi tržnice na jugovzhodu Azije. Zmrznjeni kitajski oziroma korejski žlikrofi in lušne slaščice v obliki medvedkov in ne vem še česa vse se največkrat znajdejo v moji nakupovalni košarici, prodajajo pa drugače vse od tropskega sadja in meni neznane zelenjave do milijon vrst rezancev, azijskih omak... kar hočeš, res. Moram priznati, da nisem nek hud ekspert kar se tiče azijskih proizvodov, ker si azijsko hrano redko pripravljam sama doma, moja cimra, ki se na te zadeve res spozna, pa najbolj priporoča supermarket SeeWoo. 

I also have to mention the touristy 'all you can eat' buffet restaurants. Sure, most people frown upon them, but sometimes you just want to stuff your belly with cheap, greasy Chinese, am I right? Especially if you're visiting London on a budget. The one I always end up in (because it seems to have the biggest selection of dishes for £10.95) is MW Buffet on Shaftesbury Avenue, but there's also a cheaper, £7.95 option on Wardour Street.

Čeprav se veliko ljudi nad njimi zmrduje, moram omeniti tudi samopostrežne 'all you can eat' azisjke restavracije. Včasih si pač zaželiš mastne hrane na kubik, pa še dokaj poceni prideš skozi, če obiskuješ London z bolj praznimi žepi. Sama grem vedno v MW Buffet na Shaftesbury Avenue, ker se mi zdi, da imajo za £10.95 največjo ponudbo, obstaja pa tudi cenejša opcija za £7.95 na Wardour Street.

To finish of the list, here's some honorary mentions of places I personally haven't tested out (yet), but come highly recommended by my friends. For fans of matcha latte, Tsujiri Matcha House apparently makes the best one; Chatime make great bubble tea; the shop called P2bus is the place to be for lovers of Korean and Japanese cosmetics; and Bubblewrap Waffle is where you can find the instagrammable bubble waffles.

Za zaključek bi omenila še nekaj kotičkov, ki jih sicer sama še nisem preizkusila, vendar so mi jih priporočili lokalni prijatelji. Za ljubitelje matcha latte je Tsujiri Matcha House baje najboljša izbira; Chatime pripravljajo okusen bubble tea (čaj s tapioka kroglicami); trgovina P2bus je raj za ljubitelje japonske in korejske kozmetike (ki jo, mimogrede, dobiš tudi v tule v Sloveniji); Bubblewrap Waffle pa je najnovejša vroča točka, saj tam prodajajo bubble vaflje, ki so preplavili Instagram.

When you finish a meal and want to keep eating the same thing for the rest of the week, you know you've had a good one! That's what happened to me at Zeytin, a traditional Turkish restaurant in Greenwich. I'm glad I was introduced to this place by my housemate's friends, as I probably never would have visited it on my own...

The restaurant doesn't scream 'Turkish' at first glance, as the decor is quite standard, but the menu looked completely traditional, offering hot and cold starters, grills, casseroles, vegetarian dishes, salads and even sea food.

Before we ordered our mains, we were served with complimentary starters, which included salads, dips, olives and yummy bread. Complimentary food is a very, very rare practice in London, so we were all pleasantly surprised with the generous offer in both senses of the word. I was all over the bread and the tzatziki-like sauce, so much so, I wasn't even feeling hungry anymore by the time our mains arrived.



Not being a fan of lamb and certain mediterranean spices, I went for the safe option and ordered Chicken Shish (12.45 GBP). I have to say the meat exceeded all my expectations. It was soft, buttery and tasted very similar to the meat my dad prepares when we're having barbecues. That's one of those things I miss the most about my life back home in Slovenia, and the fact that my family never fails to bombard me with photos of delicious food whenever they're having fun without me, doesn't help the situation one bit. If I had Zeytin right around the corner from where I live, I would probably be there picking up my takeaway every weekend. 

The chicken aside, all sides were delicious too. I got some grilled veggies, rice and bulgur wheat, which I topped off with that tzatziki-style sauce we kept on ordering. The combo tasted perfect! Bulgur wheat, by the way, is quite similar to rice in case you haven't tried it yet yourself. I had it for the first time at this restaurant, and after finding out it has twice the fiber, fewer calories and less fat than rice, I already made a replacement in my kitchen cupboard. 

I've been writing about food so much lately The Puzzle of Sandra's Life is unintentionally starting to resemble a food blog, haha. Today I don't have a recipe or a restaurant review per se for you guys, but I do have one amazing tip that you'll be glad I told you about when you visit Bali. It's called The Cafe.

You can find it inside The Mulia, a luxury five-star resort in Nusa Dua. Essentially, it's a buffet restaurant, but a very fancy and rather affordable one! I know, that's two words you don't see in the same sentence very often, which is a reason enough to give it a go if you fancy experiencing luxury on a budget.

You can go there for either breakfast, lunch or dinner, and enjoy top-notch meals from all around the globe for about €30 per person. Being a buffet, you can try whatever you want and go fill up your plate as many times as you like. I would recommend starving yourself beforehand, because everything looks and tastes so good there, you will want to eat all of the things. I went there for lunch, and indian, korean, italian and thai were only some of the cousines I tried. That's before I made it to the famous dessert bar. Insert blushing emoji.

Even though I said the place is a buffet-style restaurant, it's not exactly your typical buffet. It looks luxurious, the food is prepared by some of the best chefs in the world, and everything is cooked fresh, sometimes even in front of your eyes. Ten out of ten! If I ever repeat my visit to Bali, we'll definitely meet again. Would you give it a go too?

I didn't expect so many of you to love my recent restaurant food review post, but I'm glad you want to see more of, because I'm quite happy to keep the momentum going. Today I'll be talking about Barraka, a fairly new mediterranean street food joint on Artillery Lane, just a short walk away from the Liverpool Street Station. Open only on weekdays, they cater mainly to people who work in the area, but they keep their doors open until 9 pm, giving you plenty of time to drop by for a quick dinner as well.  

They have a pretty simple, straight-forward menu, which is super easy to navigate when you're in a hurry. Kudos for that! But don't think this means there isn't enough choice. I can assure you you'll have no problem finding something that suits your taste buds. Unless you can't stand spicy food. They have five main 'meat' options. You can choose between chorizo, chicken schnitzel, ribeye, mediterranean chicken and halloumi served in either a baguette, a laffa wrap or a salad bowl. They prepare the meat in front of you and then ask you for your preferred toppings, which include four different sauces (barraka sauce, tahini, chimichurry, chilli mayo) and freshly cut salads (tomato, cabbage, chilli peppers, chopped salad, gherkins, mixed leaf salad, houmous). 

I popped in with my housemate on Thursday, after 3 pm to avoid the lunch crowds, and was kindly welcomed by the lovely guys who work there. We decided to have our lunch inside, as there are some tables and chairs set aside, but all food comes nicely wrapped, so you can also take it with you if you wish so. 

I ended up going for the chicken schnitzel baguette and did not regret the choice one bit. The baguette was nice and toasty, the veggies were fresh, and the meat was glorious. The chicken breast strips were coated with sesame seeds, panko breadcrumbs and spices, and reminded me of the chicken schitzels I used to eat back home in Slovenia, minus the spicy twist. I could tell the food was freshly prepared, because there was nothing 'plastic-y' about it, which is the word I like to use for the food from the likes of McDonald's and those tasteless grocery store ready-to-eat meals. 

My housemate tried out the ribeye baguette and was just as impressed with the freshness of the toppings and the tenderness of the meat. I was offered to try a piece myself, and even though I rarely steer away from white meat, I would be more than happy to demolish Barraka's beef, prepared with salt and pepper only. 

Last but not least, we also had some hand cut chips with fresh chilli to share, which I think was my favourite part of the meal. Not being a huge fan of spicy food, I didn't touch the fresh chilli, as my mouth was already on fire, but I couldn't stay away from the chips. The texture was quite soggy, similar to sweet potatoes', which I didn't expect (or mind) at all, but boy, did it taste amazing! I'm definitely coming back for these. 

As you can probably tell, the portions were very generous. So much so, I had to skip my dinner, because I was still so full by the time evening rolled around. The prices get a thumbs up from me as well. My chicken schnitzel baguette would cost you £5.95, the ribeye baguette £8.75 and the chips only £2.25. A great value for the quantity and quality, I think. Don't you agree? What would you order if you visited the restaurant? Let me know by voting below! If you're a Londoner yourself or are visiting London soon, you'll also be happy to hear the vote will get you a 25% discount on your Barraka order. :)

Last weekend my housemates and I treated ourselves to a Sunday lunch at Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen. Located right behind St. Paul's, inside the One New Change shopping centre, the restaurant has an industrial yet stylish feel and offers a variety of dishes, from your standard breakfasts to steaks. We booked our table in advance, but the place looked pretty massive and it wasn't super busy either, so I don't think it's necessary to do so.




We all opted for a traditional Sunday roast (I chose chicken), as recommended by one of my housemates, who had already tried it here before. She said it's the best one she'd ever had, so the expectations were high and so was my appetite, having only eaten strawberries for breakfast, haha.


We were first served with some bread and butter while waiting for the main, which didn't disappoint. The portion was generous and everything tasted ah-mazing. My plate consisted of a tender half chicken, gravy, honey roasted parsnip, buttered cabbage and Yorkshire pudding, as well as honey roasted carrots and roasted potatoes in a separate dish. The potatoes were especially delicious - very crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Yum! We also got some horseradish to share, but I'm not a huge fan of it myself, so I'm afraid I can't really comment on it. My housemates seemed to enjoy it, though! 

All in all, I can't say I have any complaints. The only thing I would prefer is for the Yorkshire pudding to be a little less dry and crispy (yup, totally nitpicking over here), but other than that, everything was great, including the service. The chicken Sunday roast cost me £17.50, which is a tad pricey for my budget, but considering the quality and the quantity, totally a-okay for London. Do you guys know of any other restaurants that prepare a scrumptious Sunday roast?