Pudding Bar, Soho

The Pudding Bar is a pop up dessert restaurant which well you’ve guessed it only serves desserts. Its a very tiny dainty little restaurant with rustic furniture. The only word I could describe this as is hipster. Why? A)The menu is served on clipboards and B) The tap water is served in glass cordial bottle. But trust me there is nothing wrong with that. So how I ended up here? Well I finally got to see one of my favorite artists play live at the royal Albert Hall, Gregory Porter. If you don’t know who he is then you clearly have shit taste in music. Joking…But anyway I kind of had to force my brother, Ajay into coming with me since no one and when I mean no one would come with me to see him. And I was not going to sit for 2 and half hours like a larry. Anyway we ended up eating late and getting to the show half an hour late thanks to my brothers time keeping who made me wait at the bar of the restaurant for over an hour, whilst having the bar tender giving me that sympathetic look that says, “honey, just give up already. He’s not coming.” So once the show finished (which by the way was amazing!), Ajay and I was going to Ronnie Scott’s after but decided it was getting late and to be honest I did not fancy running for the last train home or worst getting the night bus! So instead We decided to go for some dessert.

So this was my order…S’more Cheescake

The marshmallow topping honestly was to die for. it was honestly so light and airy. I mean I honestly dont like Meringue, just something about it just puts me off. But this, was just too addictive. It literally felt like I was eating clouds. Then the filling well it was average if I’m honest. just a normal chocolate cheesecake filling. Silky and smooth, everything I think it should be. Now this was the part was which really disappointed me, the base.  The idea behind it sounded nice. a gingernut biscuit base. The only problem was it tasted stale. You know when you were younger and your mum used to buy those cheapish frozen dessert and you leave it to defrost and then serve and you get that horrible stale frozen taste. That’s what I had. So I had to eat around the base.

Baked Alaska. I have never had this before. I always used to remember on suite life of Zack and Cody, yes I was one of those who used to watch it. But I remember them saying Baked Alaska as if it was one of the most extravagant desserts. ever! I always do this thing where no matter what I always want to try more than 1 dessert so I make who ever I’m with get something different So i can try it. I don’t know if you’ve ever watched Made of Honor. Where the girl, Michelle Monoghan always shares her desserts with Patrick Dempsey. I like to think that’s what I’m like, sharing my dessert with Patrick Dempsey.

But  the Baked Alaska was amazing. It was an apple tart topped with ice cream and with a thick fluffy coating of marshmallowy cream with a toasty nutty crisp finish. I literally had no fault with this. It even had maple syrup drizzle around the plate. Enough said.

I would Definitely recommend this place if you fancy somewhere for afters! just maybe don’t order the cheesecake.

Japan at Your Doorstep

I get a random text from my dearest older brother Ajay asking me to meet him for dinner. Quite out of the ordinary but I was happy to meet. Since he’s now transferred to Westminster from Manchester University and me now working in Peckham, South London. We can actually meet up for dinners which I reckon won’t happen as often as I’d like but still, I’m still happy. And Ajay was taking me to a new Ramen Bar…Kanada-Ya.

Kanada-Ya reminded me of Japan’s own version of McDonalds. Just seemed to casual, full of Japanese Natives. This Noodle bar is small but definitely not grotty; very trendy and hipster like. Thank god they haven’t all discovered this place yet, or maybe they’re too intimidated to go.

If you’re not entirely sure what a Ramen is…Well its Amazing. It’s like a Much Better and healthier version of Pot noodle. So its a soup that originated in Japan Consisting of Noodles, Meat/ Fish Broth topped with sliced pork, spring onions and seaweed and occasionally a soft Tea-boiled egg (not to keen on that part). Honestly its the most amazing thing EVER!

There’s only 3 types of Ramens you can get here. 18 hr Pork Bone broth, Chashu pork belly, wood ear fungus, nori and spring onions; 18 hr Pork Bone broth, Chashu pork belly, wood ear fungus, nori and spring onions topped with beansprouts; 18 hr Pork Bone broth, Deluxe Chashu pork collar, wood ear fungus, nori and spring onions. Fairly cheap from £10-£12.50.

Ajay and I both ordered the Pork with Beansprouts, but the weirdest thing was the waitress asked us how we like our noodles cooked. Has that ever happened to you? Apparently in Japan they like there noodles hard because it’s still cooking whilst in the broth. So I asked for mine to be hard and it was so worth it. Al Dante. Perfect. They didn’t turn to slush; weren’t too chewy just right. Now I’m usually the annoying customer who shoves a whole load of soya sauce in the bowl because it needs more flavour. But here I didn’t need to add anything in. The broth was a lot more Cloudier but had really strong clean flavours.

The thing that I was intrigued to try was the Wood ear fungus. it was like an crunchy mushroom. Really words couldn’t describe the bite it had. It was over powering and strong, just so there but not too in your face. If people don’t know what nori is its a sheet of Seaweed. You just add the sheet into the broth and let it slightly wilt and just shove it in your gob. It gives the broth a fishy taste and not in an unpleasant way.

Just saying I ate my bowl of ramen with 7 minutes. I’ve worked out, you’re meant to stretch the noodles first, well the bit you want to eat and then and then whack it in! And you slurp the noodles in. I know it sounds disgusting but you know you’re eating right when you make the noise.

But Ajay decided to be more experimental by picking Spicy Miso. It wasn’t nice. It was like Wasabi. Apparently you’re meant to pinch a little bit at a time with your chopstick to taste. DO NOT STIR THE SPOON INTO YOUR BOWL.

This is I think is like Pickeled Carrot but I really wasn’t sure. The lady next to us was putting it on her spoon and adding it to her noodles using the chopsticks. I didnt try some unfortunately I was to busy shoveling the noddles down as fast as I could.

Whenever I try to experiment I fail Miserably. So for drinks I thought I was ordering what the guy opposite was having (PS he looked like a Japanese version of John Lennon). Instead I got this. Now I know Arji buys these from Cyber Candy but I have never been temped to try a bottle of E numbers waiting to kill my insides. And I was right, It was Artificially disgusting!

The cool thing about this was opening the bottle there’s a cap which you push down which releases a glass ball in the neck of the bottle. In Japan They have this thing we’re you see who can open the top and get the glass ball out the quickest without smashing the bottle. Well that’s what the Waitress explained to us. Me and Arji tried this…We both failed miserably.

This Waitress, was the coolest waitress at a ramen bar, I personally thought. usually they’re really quiet and have that look that says “don’t disturb me b*tch”. But instead she helped explain everything, from the noodles to the drink! I think we became abit annoying towards the end, constantly asking her what certain things were.

I would definitely recommend this restaurant to every Ramen Lover! And order extra noodles.

New Start New Blog, Well New theme

Hello. God it has been long.

So why has it been so long since I’ve blogged, is that the word? Well it’s gonna sound embarrassing; But I forgot my password. So I did what anyone else would do and make another blog. This was really my chance to start fresh- appearance wise. Since well I noticed my blog looked S***. Thanks to Ben, who found my password and for helping me pick a theme and show me how to actually use wordpress!

From now on I hope to have better photography, recipes and more posts about other stuff other than CAKES. I cant promise you anything just in case, but this is just a warning, things on Larrdarse are going to be more like a blog and not a Cake Diary done by a six year old… I hope.