The Chinese Buffet, Trinity Walk, Wakefield

People have been raving about how good the Chinese Buffet is in Wakefield, how good the food is and how much variety there is; these people, however, are meat eaters. When I visited the Chinese Buffet there were no vegetarian main courses. I had to eat a lot of side dishes such as the noodles and chips (and bizarrely olives) to get my money’s worth, and even then all the dishes I could eat fitted on one small plate. The Hot and Sour soup I had as part of my starter was very nice, however, as were all of the side dishes I had to eat.   For dessert there were a number of options such as freshly made crêpes with a number of different toppings, fruit salad, and a number of pastries, ice cream and a chocolate fountain (only marshmallows- full of gelatine - provided with it). I went to town on the puddings as I was hungry.   

I must say in the buffet’s defence that the staff were very good at their jobs and took the used plates away very quickly and brought drinks quickly. The buffet was not massively crowded when we were there, however, so I can’t comment on how efficient the staff are at peak times.  The buffet is clean and well decorated and has a nice atmosphere. It is very family friendly, too, with more traditional kiddie friendly choices such as chicken nuggets, sausages – the usual stuff.

But due to the lack of food I could eat they will not be getting my custom again. Price-wise – for a vegetarian, very expensive for what I could eat. I paid about £20 for a plate of chips and noodles. Carnivores will love it though, and can undoubtedly get their money’s worth.

The website

My Pickled Onion Experiment

I love pickled food; I would probably live off it if I could. This experiment started off as a an attempt to pickle chillies after a glut of very very very hot chillies in my mum’s green house. I did not have enough to fill a jar so I added garlic and an onion to bulk it out. I poured Pickling vinegar over the top and left for a month. The resulting onions were volcanically spicy (and I like hot food) but the chillies had lost some of their heat which was one of the results I was looking for. I decided then to have as go a pickling some onions for Christmas



What I used

A chopping Board

Knife

2 jars (I put them in the oven to sterilize them)

Rubber gloves

Ingredients

1 bag of small onions

1 lieter of pickling vinegar (I used a bit less that this but that was the size of the jar it was sold in)

2 small chilies

1 cinnamon stick

Handful of pepper corns

Jar 1

I cut the majority of the onions into large chunks and de seeded and chopped chillies (use the rubber gloves while handling the chillies if you are like me and have very sensitive skin, no do, really really do)

partly filled jar shot.

 Put in a jar






 








Add some pepper corns.

 put more onions in the jar and use achop stick to mix everything about. Don't over fill the jar as you have to put the viniger in as well.



 




Top off with viniger

I left this for about 3 weeks in the pantry.

These had an extreme flavour, they were very strong and made my nose run. However I think if I had left them for longer they may have been milder.

Jar 2

I left most of the onions in this jar whole and just peeled them. After putting them in the jar with a cinnamon stick and covering with the viniger I left them for about 6 weeks before opening the jar.

A vast improvement on jar 1, had a slightly milder taste from being left longer and the taste of cinnamon has infused the onions however it was a very mild cinnamon taste. These onions are not for the faint hearted, but are much more palatable than the original experiment with the chillies.

 on strike
http://sopastrike.com/

Café Concerto, 21 High Petergate, York

In spitting distance of the gothic spendour of the Minster is a small café with its own unique personality (It is also on top of the Roman forum basilica complex that developed into the earliest churches……ok shut up Rosie, blog on food not archaeology……) There is something about this café with its crowd of very obvious tourists, determined regulars and people who go to York to shop for Christmas presents (like me), that makes me happy. 

This cave like little café not only has tables that are made from singer sewing machine tables it is also papered with old sheet music….even the toilets. It has ambient jazz music playing in the background which leads to a very pleasant and quirky atmosphere.  

It has a relatively small menu that has a selection of soups and sandwiches. These are all freshly made on site. I had a very juicy tomato soup with a side order of hummus and pitta bread and olives. There is a relatively small selection of vegetarian food; even the tomato soup was on the menu with pesto and parmesan cheese; however the staff were very accommodating and I just asked for the soup without the cheese. There were also cheese sandwiches and a vegetarian mezze available. I drank a ginger and lemongrass drink which was very unusual: refreshing and tasty. 

The staff were very friendly and obviously enjoyed talking to the customers. One of the best things about the café is the people watching as it appeared to attract a number of characters. It is very family friendly with a number of people with babies in the café. All in all it was a very enjoyable experience and I will definitely visit again. However it becomes very busy at peak times so be prepared to wait for a table.

http://www.cafeconcerto.biz/page2.htm

Hair Royalty Alternative Rooster feather hair extensions.

Feather Hair extensions although epic looking are sadly not very ethical as they come from intensively farmed roosters. But why should carnivores have all the fun…. Hair Royalty have developed synthetic hair extensions that mimic rooster feathers.

I put my red extensions in about 8 weeks ago and it still looks fresh and lovely after abuse from ghds and heated curlers. It looks very discrete, so can be hidden if you tie your hair back for job interview, work, school..etc. They are attached to the head using silicone rings (You can buy these off amazon or hair supply shops) that don’t damage the hair when you take them out, so already one up on glue and clips. It also grows out with your hair so it does not look stumpy after a few weeks.

I am hooked on these hair extensions and will definitely buy these again.

Peta website on the issue of intensively farmed roosters 

 http://www.peta.org/living/fashion/feather-hair-extensions-a-trend-worth-killing-for.aspx

Hair royalty website

http://hairroyalty.bigcartel.com/product/alternative-rooster-feathers-10-per-pack

Tutorial for putting real feathers in your hair. Is very good and the review is very entertaining and explains how to attach them very clearly.

http://www.youtube.com/user/LaDollyVita33#p/u/38/hTnALc7sBJ0

Graveley's Fish and Chip restaurant, Whitby

Ok first of all I am sorry for not posting for such a long time; I have had a manic few months. Firstly I am now employed!!!!!!! (Open the Champagne and have a parade) I have also been on an archaeological dig in Pontefract, the site was epic and the drunk locals shouting Time Team at us over the fence was also just as good. Anyway grovelling (I am not worthy of your esteemed readership…I am a worm…etc) over on with the blog…….

So what is a nice vegetarian like me doing in a fish and chip shop…….? Well I’m the only veggy in my family and we were at the seaside and it is traditional to have at least chips. The chips here however are fried in beef dripping so avoid them, BUT the veggy option of the mushroom stroganoff more than makes up for the lack of chips. This was one of two veggy options (so already one up on most fish and chip shops) the other being sadly the old fallback of lasagne (does anyone else get sick of lasagne? Lacks imagination doesn’t it?) . The stroganoff however was amazing; it was juicy and rich. I am however a big fan of mushrooms so for me they automatically improve any dish. It was served with a salad, garlic bread and rice. For me it would have been better if they got rid of the rice and gave me extra garlic bread instead to mop up the stroganoff. I think to date it is the best veggy option that I have had a fish and chip shop. 

Not only is the food wonderful the setting is brilliant; it is perched on top of a hill overlooking the beach in the new town. This means that if you get a window seat you can watch the bored fairground attendants supervising overexcited children on the teacups. You can also watch the pleasure boats going out to sea including my personal favourite the mini Endeavour that blasts sea shanties as it goes past. It is vulgar and amazing at the same time. The restaurant looks like a set from Life on Mars with Formica booths and a dessert cabinet. However please don’t ever change the interior as it makes the whole place fabulously retro.   

http://www.graveleyswhitby.co.uk/

For anyone interested in the dig (sadly finished for the season)
http://www.wdco.org/site/Pontefract-and--District-Archaeological-Society/Dig-News.htm

Amy’s Kitchen gluten free burrito – review

(Just a quick note for us Brits, we don’t have many Amy’s kitchen products on this side of the pond) Amy’s kitchen is a family run company from the USA specialising in Vegetarian food.  It has Vegetarian Society approval so there is no chance of cross contamination with meaty products. 

The burrito can be found in the freezer section of Sainsbury’s and are sold individually for £1.99. Although relatively expensive it is a useful food to have in the freezer, for those nights when you can’t be bothered cooking, or if you are drunk and want food (the beans will mop up the booze quite well).  The burrito is just the right size for a snack on its own or as part of a meal with perhaps chips and salad. The burrito it’s self was very tasty with a crispy outside and soft on the inside. The burrito had a good combination of spice and other ingredients meaning that the taste of one ingredient was not too overwhelming, it also wasn’t too spicy, so not scary tasting for people who may have more sensitive pallets.  It is also a good dish to cook for meat eaters, as the beans are full of protein therefor filling; it also looks like a meat dish, so again not too scary. 

The one concern I have about the burrito is that the microwaving instruction tell you to microwave the product for too short time. It may have been my microwave not being powerful enough to cook it through, but I will say that it might be a good idea to cut the burrito in half after the following the cooking instructions to check that it is piping hot.

http://www.amys.com/