One night recently H and I fancied some takeaway and decided to try out a restaurant in Aldershot called Taste Buds Caribbean Cuisine (98 Grosvenor Road).
We tried phoning a few times, but it went through to answer machine, so we decided to drive over and see if it still existed, with a back-up plan of going to the Nanglo Cafe if not.
Picture a couple in a gondola, gently propelled along a narrow canal by a skilled gondolier. Now add 3 other passengers, a crap ton of rain, umbrellas and cameras in all hands, and the romance rapidly evporates. We watched them drift past us as we splashed our way through the streets on the first full day of our recent brief trip to Venice.
It was sunny the next day. And to be fair, Venice is pretty amazing whatever the weather. Dilapidated ornate buildings lapped by lagoon waters, maze-like passageways, tiny steep bridges over miniature canals – it certainly isn’t like anywhere else I’ve ever been.
But other people can tell you more about that stuff. I’m all about the food.
The average hot chocolate you get in the UK is pretty uninspiring. I mean, sure, it has a chocolate taste and is warmly comforting, but its lacklustre nature is undeniable, and it doesn’t matter how much whipped cream or marshmallows are piled on top.
I’m always in search of pure, intense hot chocolate. The kind you get if you make it yourself at home with real chocolate and milk (or even, eep, cream).
I’ve had a killer one in the renowned Angelina in Paris*; an excellent shot in Chocolat Chocolat, Cambridge; a dark and delicious 70% courtesy of Mink, Vancouver; and what I swear was just a cup of melted chocolate down in Brighton’s Bar Du Chocolat. However a particularly fond memory comes from a brief visit to Barcelona and assorted stops for chocolate and churros.
Toughness is not normally a positive term when associated with food. “Mmm, that was really tough…” is not a phrase you want to hear someone at the next table saying when you’re waiting for your food to arrive. Especially the “mmm” bit – that’s just odd.
I haven’t heard anyone say this, I should hasten to add. But if someone were to, it would probably be about something like biltong.
A few weeks ago I had a day off work. I had various errands to run, and calculated that I would be passing through Alton (Hampshire) at around lunch-time.
I actually went to sixth form college in Alton, and even worked there for a couple of years, but I hadn’t really been there for about 10 years, so thought I should check out what had changed when it came to food.
