Young Turks

I had a huge appetite after class yesterday and was really craving something healthy, salty, and delicious so I put together a salad with pre-packaged salad mix, added in some sliced avocado, and black olives. Yum!

Hit.the.spot.

I also ate this on top of my salad :-). I prepped the salmon with evoo, sea salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and a generous pour of maple syrup. It came out perfect!

I loved the sweetness the maple syrup imparted with the spiciness of the cayenne pepper. Mmm! Some asparagus and brown rice on the side.

After reading for about 2 hours and napping for 3, I headed out to meet T and some friends at a pop up dinner at Ten Bells pub.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/oct/28/young-turks-10-bells-review

A bit of scary history on the pub:
http://wiki.casebook.org/index.php/Ten_Bells

stairs leading to the bathrooms

After climbing a few flights of stairs, we were led into our own private dining area.

We were the first ones to arrive so I got to enjoy the view from the windows in a little peace and quiet.

We were a group of 11 and had our own servers for the night. I was very impressed with the service and the attention we got which wasn't too stuffy, and did things like fill our water glasses very 10 minutes which is a rarity in London!

Our menu

mackerel

The fish was excellently cooked and paired wonderfully with the tart radishes.

stinking bishop with potatoes and onions

I had no idea what stinking bishop cheese what and I know those sitting next to me didn't either. It was pungent and strong in taste as you would assume by the name, but it was smooth in texture and tasty, especially with the potatoes, onions, and a crunchy topping that reminded me of eating cornflakes.

fallow deer

This was my favorite dish since my piece of deer was super flavorful. I don't remember ever eating deer this good. T on the other hand felt his piece wasn't as flavorful so I wonder if my taste buds were playing tricks on me (doubtful!). The accompaniment of barley and short rib like pieces of deer meat underneath were a hit as well.

yogurt and beetroot with meringue

I felt bad leaving most of the dish even after managing a few tasty bites. The consensus at the table was that this unusual pairing was a hit. It definitely reminded me of the dessert I had at Viajante (shhh the one at Vijante was slightly better). I really love the use of beetroot in dessert dishes these days; it's such a wacky but amazing tasting combo.

I didn’t take a picture of the last dish, which was a chocolate malted ice cream with coffee crumbles. I swear the ice cream tasted like coffee as well but it could have just been from the surrounding cookie like crumbles. It was good but must not have been too memorable if I forgot to take a picture of it! After dinner, we promptly rushed home (at almost midnight) and I curled in bed for the night. Even going out to dinner takes a lot out of me these days. :(

My head seemed so much clearer this morning as I woke up to a delicious breakfast of eggs topped with cinnamon and all spice with a side of avocado.

Ever tried this combo? Eggs-avocado-whole wheat toast. It's a healthy one too!

Someone got a little bit dirty on her walk this morning...

Time for a bath!

her reward for getting clean :)

 

her new trick is to be able to stand while taking a treat from this can. T swears he doesn't squeeze that much into her mouth!