Do you ever feel like your salads are just a little too bland? They can be either too heavy or too light or maybe you don’t have time or inspiration to make them anything special. But with these easy tips, you can mix up your salads and turn them into the most delicious and nutritious meals you will ever eat!
Our immune systems are absolutely vital to ensure that the body remains fit and healthy. If you do not have a healthy immune system, you are more likely to fall ill with an infection, they are likely to last longer, and they are going to hit you harder too. That means it is important we all find ways to take better care of our immune system. There is a very simple way we can do this, and that is by eating a lot of the right kinds of foods. We all know that fruit and vegetables are good for us, but do we know why? Good food boosts the immune system and generally makes us fitter, stronger, and healthier. This is even more important as we age too. So, let’s look at some foods that have this beneficial effect:
My&Sanné is a new Mediterranean restaurant on Brompton Road which specialises in regional dishes with hints of Greek, Italian and Asian flavours. The interior is impressive – light and airy, it embodies the essence of an elegant greenhouse with Bistro seats, planters and urns, and a flower-ceiling with string lights and lanterns.
An all-day restaurant, mornings at My&Sanné offers up dishes such as Deconstructed Avocado Tarine; ‘Nduja Eggs Benedict, or Arjurvedic Porridge, along with a selection of fun smoothies. Lunch and dinner serves up a robust array of seafood and meat dishes. There is a fabulous display of patisseries and desserts to round out your meal, not to mention an innovative cocktail and mocktail menu and a rounded wine selection to quench your thirst.
We tried the Singapore-style crab leg with crispy bao bun (£29). The crab leg was of a perfectly tender texture and enhanced with sweet chilli flavours, with the bao bun resembling an unctuous crispy fried bread. It was crispy and light on the outside, yet soft on the inside. In all a very delicious dish.
London Food Blog – Singapore crab
Make Your Breakfast Super-Healthy With These Simple Tips
Aren’t we all used to making new health resolutions and fitness targets at the turn of every new year? Most of the time, we find ourselves jettisoning our health goals mid-flight, especially when it comes to what we eat. Eating a healthy breakfast is a perfect opportunity to fuel your body with the essential nutrients it needs for the day, including calcium, protein, and fiber. And while there’s still some debate about the role of breakfast in weight loss, one thing that is not in doubt is that you need to eat a healthy breakfast. So, how can you make the most important meal of the day healthy? Here are a few considerations.
Make a healthy protein meal
The Mediterranean diet
What is the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet is more than just a diet, it’s a lifestyle based on the ways that people used to live in Southern Italy, Greece and their surrounding countries during the 1960s. The reason why the Mediterranean diet isn’t based on the cuisine of these countries now is that, like many other parts of the world, fast food outlets and convenience stores have changed their previously very healthy food culture bringing with it rising obesity levels and health problems.
That Mediterranean diet of old is still widely considered one of the healthiest ways to eat, combining whole plant foods with lean protein sources, good healthy fats such as olive oil and avocado, with whole grains and legumes. The diet also encourages people to eat slowly and socially rather than to fuel convenience and champions regular exercise and positive mental wellbeing.
FIREDOOR
I recently had a fabulous meal at Firedoor, a slick and modern outfit located in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills, close to the heart of the Sydney Central Business District. Firedoor is a very unique restaurant in that it serves an entirely fire-powered menu. The first of its kind in Australia, each dish is cooked to order and powered entirely by wood fire. The kitchen draws upon a collection of different woods every day, purposefully used to create a certain effect from the coals that best enhance the natural characteristics of the ingredients on show.
The head chef is Lennox Hastie who spent the early part of his career working at various Michelin Star restaurants across the UK, France and Spain. The pinnacle was the five years that he spent at one of the best grill restaurants in the world, the much-touted Asador Etxebarri located in the Basque country. A one Michelin star holder and a regular on the 50 Best Restaurants in the World’s List, Asador Etxebarri readily makes use of wood-fired grilling. Here, Lennox spent five years working with Victor Arguinzoniz, honing his skills on working with an open flame.
Lennox opened Firedoor in April 2015. Focusing primarily on seafood and vegetables, he has transported his unique understanding of wood fire cooking to Firedoor, His talent was recognised when the restaurant was nominated for the Best New Restaurant in the 2016 Australian Gourmet Traveller Awards. Firedoor currently holds a chef’s hat in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide and sits at number 17 on the Australian Gourmet Traveller Top 100 Restaurants.
We shared a selection of dishes and all were fabulous, starting with the albacore tuna with radish (A$27) which was sensational. Wild caught Mooloolaba albacore had been grilled (seared) over apple wood and was meaty and ripe with flavour. Texturally the albacore was heaven and a joy to each. The fish was served with shaved fennel and breakfast radishes that were fresh and lively, and a well-judged grilled lemon dressing which provided the right hit of acidity. Everything on the dish came together superbly.
Firedoor – Albacore tuna
YARDBIRD
Yardbird in Hong Kong ranks as one of the hottest restaurants in Hong Kong. It’s a perpetual hit with the Hong Kong in-crowd, helped in no small part by the slick urban design and the all too-cool wait staff. Yardbird has a no booking policy and given its popularity, this often means that there is a timely wait. But notwithstanding its coolness, it’s popularity is understandable when one comes to learn that the head chef at Yardbird is Canadian Matt Abergel who has previously cooked at leading Japanese/Japanese-fusion restaurants such as Masa in New York and Zuma in Hong Kong.
The menu is fashioned on the Japanese style of “izakaya” casual eating with small plates for all to share. Predominating Japanese in flavour, Abergel also draws on other Asian influences, bringing in items such as KFC, a dish of Korean fried cauliflower (yes cauliflower and not chicken) which was an absolute treat.
Yardbird makes good use of the chicken, endorsing a head to tail concept of eating. We saw just about every part of the chicken on the menu, with the thigh, breast, wing, heart, liver, gizzards, you name it, all being skewered for yakitori grilling. Of these we tried the Chicken meatball yakitori served with egg yolk (HK$48 – about £4.80).
Yardbird – Chicken meatballs
108 BRASSERIE
Set in the heart of Marylebone, 108 Brasserie on 108 Marylebone Lane is a beautiful brasserie restaurant offering a classy all-day dining experience. Furnished with antique mirrors, sumptuous red leather upholstery and nickel detailing, the showpiece of the brasserie is the dark stained oak bar that helps to create a stylish and welcoming ambience.
108 Brasserie houses several distinctive areas. First is the brasserie’s restaurant, a classy dining space which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. The Executive Chef is Russell Ford who previously worked at The Grove. With 108 Brasserie, he has come up with a menu of simple British dishes made from the finest locally sourced and seasonal ingredients. Main dishes include Roast Cornish lamb and a selection of salads including a superfood salad for the health-conscious. There is also a section devoted to the josper grill where a selection of meats and seafood can be cooked to order. Second is 108 Pantry, a bright and modern space where breakfast, light lunches and afternoon teas are served.
The bar is the third space at 108, an elegant and stylish area that serves wines, classic British cocktails and a weekly changing menu of small plates. Here we enjoyed a sophisticated and delicious signature cocktail before dinner – The Marylebone (£13) with vodka, champagne, elderflower and black raspberry liquer. The wine list features a comprehensive selection of wines, including the excellent Nyetimber Classic Cuvée (£11.50 a glass, £57 a bottle) English sparkling wine.
108 Brasserie – The Marylebone
Moving into the restaurant proper, we began our dinner by savoring the bread selection (£2.50) that included soda, sourdough and Guinness bread. The soda and sourdough were respectable, but it was the Guinness bread that proved to be a knockout. It was delicious, with a distinct, robust, and slightly sweet flavour. It was so good we had to have seconds. The bread was served with some wonderful Abernethy Butter.
108 Brasserie – Bread selection
From the josper, the tiger prawns (£15 starter, £24 main) with garlic and parsley butter were gorgeous. The prawns were fat and juicy, and delicious with the butter. A second starter of seared tuna (£11) was also lovely. The tuna was fresh and tasty, and it paired well with the soy and ginger dressing with wasabi as it had a good kick to it.
108 Brasserie – Tiger prawns
108 Brasserie – London Food Blog – Tuna
To mains, and the lemon sole meunière (£25) cooked on the josper grill was also delicious. The lemon sole can be served on or off the bone (here I had it one the bone), and while I had it as a meunière, there was also the option to have it grilled. The fish was wonderfully fresh and skillfully cooked, and the caper topping added a nice level of acidity to the fish.
108 Brasserie – Lemon sole
Also from the josper grill was the 8oz steak rib-eye steak (£27). The meat was cooked to order – medium rare and nicely seasoned. It was a tasty cut of meat, but rather chewy, and in this regard it was a little disappointing. The steak came with a choice of sauce and here we ordered a well-made Béarnaise.
108 Brasserie – Rib-eye
Now a word on the sides. We had some steamed spinach (£4.50) and seasonal greens (cabbage) with toasted seeds and lemon dressing (£4.50), both of which were tasty. But particularly noteworthy was the double-cooked hand-cut chips (£4.50) as these were especially delicious. The chips were wonderfully crunchy on the outside and lovely and fluffy on the inside.
To desserts, and the lemon tart (£7) contained a filling that was good and zingy. However the pastry was soft and let the tart down slightly. The josper grilled pineapple with coconut sorbet, chilli and lime glaze (£7) was light & refreshing, and a vanilla cheesecake (£3), which we ordered from the 108 Pantry display, was also delicious. It was rich and creamy with the right level of density and a good biscuit base.
108 Brasserie – Lemon tart
108 Brasserie – Josper grilled pineapple
108 Brasserie – Vanilla cheesecake
We had a delightful experience at 108 Marylebone. Although simple in its design, the dishes were delicious, well executed and fresh. The service was warm and welcoming, and the beautiful restaurant created a really lovely spot for dinner.
Summary Information:
Likes
1. The Guinness bread. This was excellent.
2. The meaty tiger prawns.
3. The vanilla cheesecake, especially with its buttery biscuit base.
4. The double-cooked hand-cut chips as these were really crunchy.
5. The warm and welcoming service.
6. The lovely ambience.
Dislikes
1. The chewiness of the rib-eye
2. The soft pastry on the lemon tart.
Food rating: 4/5
Service rating: 4/5
Prices: £28 to £49 for three courses, excludes drinks and service.
Website: http://108brasserie.com/
