Broth is not broth

We are starting the year off right by planning meals for each week and cooking together in the evenings. A couple of the recipes for this week called for broth - one for chicken broth, one for vegetable broth. No problem, right?

As we would in the US, we went to the soup aisle to begin our search for this ingredient (I was secretly hoping Swanson's had gone international...it hadn't). Vegetable broth was no where to be found, but we did find chicken broth, scotch broth and some other broth, the name of which I cannot remember. So we chose chicken broth for both recipes and thought all was good.

That same evening we started cooking the first recipe that called for the broth. Everything was looking good with our "Vegetable Lover's Chicken Soup" until we added the broth as the last ingredient to the pot. It was by no means "brothy". It was pretty much chicken noodle soup - like with noodles...and chicken bits...and vegetables. Hmmmm...

Christmas Dinner

Given all the ads to book your holiday dinner, it seemed the custom to have Christmas dinner "out". So we booked at The Hotel. We'd read good things about it and, located in our neighborhood, we thought we'd give it a try.

The experience was disappointing. While the bar and lounge had a nice atmosphere, it was spoiled by the service. Perhaps they were short-staffed or plagued by second-rate staff for Christmas Day...but given the price for the meal (>£75), 30 minutes between (5!!) courses is too slow.

We may give them a second chance by trying their afternoon tea, but I'm not sure it'll be worth shelling out the money when we could easily find a high-quality place in London or a niche tea house in a nearby Cotswolds village.

As for Christmas dinner, I think next year we'll opt for a home-cooked meal...with family.

Notting Hill Pub

We were itching for "proper" fish-n-chips on a cold night in London. We made our way to Notting Hill and happened upon Portobello Gold.

The shucked oysters were so clean and fresh. The fish-n-chips were made in the traditional style and came with a homemade tartar sauce (with chopped pickles!!) that I ate like coleslaw. And the staff recommendations for the dessert sampler did not disappoint.

While the beer left a little to be desired, this pub (and neighborhood) is ideal for people watching, friendly service and high-quality food. They even have rooms...they advertise their unique fold-away four-post bed!!

Pizza @Harrods

If you're headed to London, the best pizza we've found is @Harrods Pizzeria (ground floor). Their Neopolitan chefs use great dough, homemade tomato sauce, fresh toppings and the best pesto I've ever tasted...all cooked in a wood-fire oven. While you're there, check out the food halls -- my favorite is the tea & sweets hall.

British version of Chipotle

While we were sad not to be able to spend Thanksgiving with family, we thought there was no more American way to celebrate than with some Mexican fare in London. So we hit up Chipotle in Soho. Here's my take.

• Rice: Offer choice of brown & white...I opted for white. Whereas the white rice in the States is long-grain, this was a more hearty and thicker short-grain rice. Still good, but different texture.
• Peppers: I always go for fajita burritos. The peppers were only yellow (vice green in the States) and they were more cooked (less crisp or al dente) than in the States.
• Meat: The seasoning was spot-on with the barbacoa.
• Salsa: Pico de gallo was good but the corn was shoepeg and had less spice.

All told, it was a great substitute for a Thanksgiving feast. And to share it with friends, even better!!

Chillin' in London

We spent the long weekend with friends in London. It was cold: no snow, but the temps barely got above freezing and the wind was brisk. I'll post more about specific dining spots, but here are some highlights from the trip:

• Thursday: Fat Tire bike tour, Thanksgiving dinner @Chipotle, Agatha Christie's Mousetrap on its 58th anniversary show
• Friday: London Eye, Harry Potter matinée at the iMax, food @Borough Market, choral evensong service @St Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern
• Saturday: Shopping @Harrods, afternoon tea @Browns, National Galleries, fish & chips
• Sunday: Spitalfields Market, Platform 9¾

Of course, we shared plenty o' beverage with friends. More to come on the food...

Kim cruising with the "L"

Kim had a shaky driving practice session yesterday around a mostly traffic-free neighborhood: jerky clutch work, peel-outs, a stall-out, some "curb checks". We may have lost another 2mm of tread on the tires ;-) It's a lot to learn both how to drive on the left and a manual at the same time.

So, it was a big leap of faith on her part to drive home through town...and she did GREAT!! Kim was much smoother with the clutch work, had no stalls and handled right-of-way through roundabouts without a hitch.

Special thanks to Tony for giving us the "L" (aka, Learner) magnets for the car.