STICKY AND SWEET MUSHROOM BAO BUNS

Asian cuisine is my absolute favorite and I love trying to create my restaurant favorites at home too. Last weekend I decided to try and make some of my own bao buns. I discovered a recipe by "£1 meals" chef Miguel Barclay for a no fuss yeast free bao bun and adapted them to create this vegetarian friendly version stuffed with sweet and sticky mushrooms which have been fried in honey, soy, garlic and five spice. As they don't need yeast, these bao buns are foolproof and can be whipped up in less than one hour. 

MATTY'S FABULOUS MINTY FALAFEL

I have tried to make falafel's in the past but they always turned into a big mushy mess. I just never seemed to be able to get the consistency of the uncooked chickpea based mixture right so they just dissolved as soon as they hit the pan. Not so with the minty falafels I've managed to perfect here, they were spot on! Made with carrot, onion, cumin and mint, they are absolutely delightful and (if you have a food processor!) they are super simple to make. So much so you'll be whipping these middle eastern bad boys up all the time!

HOST LIVERPOOL (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

We have visited Host up on Hope Street in Liverpool several times in the past and we had always had a great time. It was slightly surprising then when we realized that it had been quite a while since we had ventured through their doors. That changed one evening when we bought tickets to see a show at the nearby Everyman theatre and having looked at the what seemed to be completely new menu on their website from the one we had last time we came we decided to go and see if their treats were still as good as what we remembered. Off we went on a warm Saturday evening with great expectations!

TREDWELLS LONDON (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Having visited the Gilbert Scott at London St Pancreas before this blog was born and really enjoying it we were glad to see that chef owner Marcus Wareing also looked after Tredwells near to the Cambridge theatre. Close to the Seven Dials which we were visiting to see a show, we took a look at the menu and we were instantly sold so we booked a table and headed down one Friday evening to go check it out.

PATARA LONDON (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Searching around the Royal Albert Hall for somewhere to eat we stumbled across Patara's website and were instantly drawn to the promise of "Fine Thai Cuisine". We do love our Thai food and it was great to see that they offered a vegetarian banquet too. So on a warm Thursday evening we headed off to South Kensington, ready to tuck into some meat free delights! We had made reservations for our visit but we needn't of worried as there wasn't anyone in Patara when we rocked up. Great, we had our pick of tables and so we took a seat in corner of the dining room right by the window.

YUU KITCHEN LONDON (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

The discovery of Yuu Kitchen was once again another "using TripAdvisor to find restaurants close to our hotel" jobby. Still having a love affair with Asian food after our trip to Bali/Singapore, I loved the look their fun take on Asian classics, some of which had been given a fresh twist that sounded brilliant. There was only one way to find out if this was true and that was to go and try them for ourselves. 

MATTY'S VEGGIE "BB" CURRY

One of the food based highlights of our holiday to Bali recently was our meal at Skai Beach Club and the chef's signature chicken "Too-Too". This was a twist on the traditional Balinese be tutu dish, a fragrant and spicy yellow curry that is absolutely to die for. I've tried to recreate a vegetarian version here using Quorn pieces instead of chicken which I toss into my own slow cooked take on this yummy sauce along with some vegetables, which I'm calling my "BB" curry (see what I did there!).

SATAY BY THE BAY SINGAPORE (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

On our second day in Singapore we spent most of the day taking in the sights of Gardens By The Bay, a spectacular garden and conservation hub right in the heart of the city centre. An incredible place in the centre of such a modern city calls for incredible food and so a trip to it's very own hawker centre, Satay By The Bay seemed like a no brainer. A more tourist friendly hawker centre compared to those you'll find in the city, would it's food be able to match the wonders of the attractions and scenery of the gardens?

WARUNG KAMPUNG BALI (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

One of the first things I love to do when I arrive in a new holiday destination and I've checked into the hotel is to get on my phone and use my GPS to find all the restaurants nearby. There could be some hidden treasures around that you wont find in any guide book or travel guide. That is how I found out about Warung Kampung. A warung is the name for a small family run cafe/restaurant and this little eatery was just around the corner from our hotel. It was getting some nice little reviews on the internet so one night I decided to take a walk and see if I could get myself some good authentic Balinese grub.

REFUGE MANCHESTER (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

It's funny how you can walk past somewhere fairly regularly and not even notice it's there. When we travel up to Manchester for concerts and theatre visits we often get off at Oxford Road and we'd never noticed Refuge before. We spied this offshoot of "Volta", a successful Manchester restaurant by chefs Justin Crawford and Luke Cowdrey (also know as the Unabombers - according to their website anyway!) online when planning a birthday meal in the city and we loved the sound of the menu so we decided to give them a try. Off we popped on the train to Manchester once more ready for a delicious celebration meal.

BOOZY THAI FRIED HALLOUMI

When you're living with a (mostly) vegetarian person it can be quite difficult sometimes to make meals were you can enjoy a bit of meat whilst being able to make a meat free version to satisfy the veggies as well. You may of seen my recipe recently for Boozy Thai Red Curry Fried Chicken I posted on here earlier in the month but here is a vegetarian version I made using 8 batons of halloumi. It works just as well as my chicken drumstick version and more importantly, is equally as fragrant, spicy and tasty!

BOOZY THAI FRIED CHICKEN

Thai fried chicken is something you may not of come across before and that is because I don't think it exists! This creation came about as I was trying to make some Korean fried chicken but couldn't find any Gochujang paste so I decided to use some red Thai curry paste instead and you know what, it really worked. Add this newly created sauce to some chicken, battered and deep fried in a vodka based batter and you have a proper homemade version of a Saturday night takeaway that's 10 times better than going the chippy! 

SLIM'S PORK CHOP EXPRESS (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Liverpool has a very rich multi cultural heritage but could a restaurant advertising a unique British take on American classics with a sprinkling of dim sum dishes inspired by the neighboring China town be fusion to far? Based right on the top of Seel Street, Slim's Pork Chop Express takes a lot of its influences from the movie "Big Trouble In Little China" with the retro references lining the walls to the names of the dishes on the menu, it really sounds like an 80's child's playground. I went down one Friday to see if it is all a bit gimmicky or a fun and playful place to bring a bunch of mates for chilled out meal.

CHINESE VEGGIE SLOW COOKED "YEAR OF THE" ROOSTER

Saturday 28th January 2017 was the start of the Chinese Year of the Rooster and so to celebrate I decided to rustle up an Asian inspired dish but as it was a Saturday, I wanted to make something that would require a minimal amount of effort (well the weekend is a time for chilling isn't it?). This dish of five spice Quorn chicken slow cooked in a soy, ginger, garlic and chili broth was the answer to my prayers. All you need to do is add the ingredients into your slower cooker in stages and you'll build up a dinner that is defiantly going to get you in the mood for a party.

FLAT IRON SQUARE LONDON (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

This is a recommendation that's a bit outside the norm now as its not so much a restaurant that I'm writing about but more a foodie venue. We strolled past the Flat Iron Square on Union Street in the Southwalk area of London last weekend and it was packed full of people drinking and generally having a good time. Intrigued as to what was going on we gave it a quick google and found out that as well as hosting weekly flea markets, many small vendors sell their foodie wares here as well. Looking for somewhere to lunch the next day, we decided to stroll over and see what was on offer.

CHAMPOR CHAMPOR LONDON (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Nestled away under the shadow of the Shard is Champor Champor. Much like the time we visited Grafene in Manchester, we had no idea how we found out about this Thai-Malay restaurant but we had bookmarked it for a visit next time we were staying in Southwalk. That time was this weekend so with a reservation made for 9pm, off we trotted! The entrance to Champor Champor is very unassuming but once you walk through the door you are instantly transported to the east. An array of Malaysian/Thai inspirations decorated the red walls; Buddhas, masks and even the cow that acts as their emblem was brought to life right above us.

FRNZY AMSTERDAM (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Last weekend we went to the beautiful city of Amsterdam. It was my first time in the Dutch capital and I was surprised by the amount of South Asian restaurants that were knocking about. One day whilst exploring the area of De Pijp, close to the Heineken Experience south of the city, we stumbled across Frnzy, a Vietnamese street food restaurant nestled down one of the more quieter side streets. A quick glance of the street food style menu and we decided to give them a whirl.

THE CHILLI PICKLE BRIGHTON (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Sometimes when your googling a city to find out the best places to eat you'll get the same places popping up time and time again. "Award winning" you will hear or "best in the city" but it's when even friends start telling you about somewhere that you start thinking that this place could be particularly special. That is what happened with The Chilli Pickle in Brighton, we kept hearing such amazing things that we knew we had to give them a visit.

MIYAGI LIVERPOOL (MATTY B RECOMMENDS)

It was time for some more foodie adventures in Liverpool now with a trip to Miyagi. This Asian restaurant located in the city centre up the thriving foodie hot spot that is Bold Street specializes in street food treats from the Far East. A glance at the menu shows traditional nibbles sitting alongside classic dishes with modern twists. Miyagi's namesake is a legendary movie creation, would the food be able to stand up to the name?

"JUST LIKE THE CHIPPY" SWEETCORN SOUP

If I go to any Chinese restaurant or down to the chippy and I'm looking for a soup as a starter there is only one option; chicken and sweetcorn soup. It such a unique soup to the cuisine and one that I had never tried to recreate at home. That was until this week when I gave this meat free version a whirl and I was so surprised at how quick and simple it was to create this classic dish. What's even better is that its tastes so much fresher than the potentially MSG laden versions you can find in more dodgy food outlets.