Interior goals at Granary Square Brasserie

True story, but I've always wanted to eat at Granary Square Brasserie. One day I fancied going somewhere special for dinner, and special it most certainly was.

ATMOSPHERE

After a warm welcome where front-of-house staff wished us a happy anniversary, took our coats and presented us with a ticket for the cloakroom, we were led into the most awe inspiring of rooms. We were sat on plush sofa seating in a cosy corner away from other diners which was deliciously private and apt for the purpose of the visit. So huge brownie points right from the offset!

And I won't lie, as soon as I sat down I was literally mouth agape for the first 10-15 minutes. What a beautiful restaurant. Decorated in my kind of style with dark inky blue walls, exposed brick archways and metallic details with a Gatsby-esque bar, I swooned good and hard. With the glow of candles placed on each table and the glow of the bar, it was ambient and felt serene and welcoming.

FOOD

I'm really into fish at the moment, so I opted for a fishy starter and main course, paired with a refreshing white wine (the Chablis, La Chablisienne from Burgundy, France if you're asking).

I had the tuna carpaccio to start. I was a little surprised initially as it didn't look how I expected it to (I later learnt that the image I had seen on the website was in fact the seared tuna main course. But you live and you learn...) But all the same, it was a nice looking dish with intriguingly thin slithers of yellowfin tuna (how do they get it so thin?!) dressed with radish, very vibrantly coloured mayo and ponzu dressing. The menu details this as miso mayo, but due to the colouring and the slight kick of heat, I suspected it may have been wasabi mayo on the day that I visited.

My only slight criticism of the dish is that tuna is one of my favourites and I felt like the ponzu covered something that naturally tastes very beautiful. I couldn't taste the fact that it was tuna and to me, this could have been any fish (at times I suspected it was salmon). But that aside, it was a beautifully presented dish full of vibrant colours and wonderful Asian flavours.

For my main course I had swordfish with toasted fregola (a Sardinian pasta), red pepper, chimichurri and basil. I ordered a side of fries too which were crispy on the outside and wonderfully fluffy in the middle. However the grains on the plate (fregola) meant there was more than enough substance to the dish - so next time I probably wouldn't need the fries (although they were really good. so never say never!). The swordfish itself was melt-in-the-mouth and beautifully cooked and seasoned. The red pepper element of the dish was a creamy, smooth red pepper sauce which my mouth still waters about to this day. It was an extremely generous portion but no matter how full I got, I could easily have eaten more (that red pepper sauce though). Which is testament to how good a dish it really was.

Sadly I can't see the swordfish on the menu anymore, but I'm really hoping they bring this back for when I visit again in the future. However having said that, I'd be tempted to try their aromatic duck curry with lemongrass, roasted cashews and jasmine rice next time. Or their shrimp and avocado burger which sounds equally dreamy.

For dessert I ordered something that I have always wanted to try after watching Masterchef religiously for years. One of those chocolate spheres which melt away when you drizzle hot sauce tantalizingly over it. This iteration of a restaurant favourite was a melting chocolate bombe with vanilla ice cream, a honeycomb centre and hot salted caramel sauce. I really appreciated the extra attention to detail with the additional piece of chocolate wishing us a happy anniversary. It's personal little touches like these which mean a lot and encourage you to come back time and time again.

SUMMARY

To summarise, Granary Square Brasseries has a nice feel about it and feels upmarket without the snobbery. We were well looked after and have no complaints about the service we received (massive respect to the guy who let me take pictures of the melting chocolate bombe dessert whilst he was pouring the hot salted caramel over it!). I was initially disappointed by the starters as there wasn't a great deal of choice for me personally, and I didn't feel all that inspired. But I have noticed that since my last visit they have added scallops to the menu (always a winner!), so I would have those next time. The main course and dessert helped to redeem things and they are what would bring me back. As would the amazing decor and feel to the place. See you soon GSB

Granary Square Brasserie

1 - 3 Stable Street 

Kings Cross

London

N1C 4AB

Located on a map here
Latest menu here

Reservations in advance are advised and you can reserve a table here

And for those wondering... the whole meal was paid for by myself. 
I just really loved the restaurant and wanted to share the love!

Quick and easy açai berry pancake recipe full of nutrients and antioxidants

* I received a complimentary sample for review purposes but all opinions and love of pancakes are my own!

Our household is a firm believer of "pancakes are for life, not just for Christmas". In other words, we have them most weekends, not just on a dedicated day of the year. Whilst this is great news (hooray for all the pancakes) it can get a little tricky coming up with new ideas for toppings. Maple syrup is always a winner, as is lemon and generous dustings of sugar equal to that of a snow capped mountain. Chocolate is always well received too (although admittedly not so great on the waistline).

Enter Sambazon’s fruity Açai Compote.

WHO YOU ASK?

Sambazon gets its name from its core goal: Sustainable Management of the Brazilian Amazon. Proceeds from each purchase helps to protect the Amazon rainforest and the families that farm there. Having a Sambazon product so close to Pancake Day was suitably apt as this also falls within Fairtrade Fortnight. Sambazon is currently said to be the only certified organic and Fairtrade Açaí brand in the UK.

I have always been passionate about food, but lately I have been increasingly conscious about where my food comes from and its ecological footprint. I don't know about you, but for me food always tastes that little bit better when you know the farmer / source hasn't had a raw deal.

Enter Sambazon's Açai berry superfruit pack.

WHAT IS AÇAI?

Pronounced "ah-sigh-ee", Açai is a type of berry renowned for its superfood properties. Açai berries grow at the top of palm trees in the Amazon rainforest and each berry contains just 10% of usable fruit and pulp and then a large seed (the latter of which has no benefits) -which gives you an idea of how many berries are needed. Dark purple in colour (similar to a grape), it is full of antioxidants and has a wealth of other health benefits:

• The pulp and skin contain the most nutrients and are a good source of fibre (great for digestion)
• Açai berries have similar levels of essential fatty acids as olive oil, of which there are studies linking essential fatty acids to a healthy heart and nervous system. 
• .... and let's not forget about the antioxidants they contain (anthocyanins) which are also great for a healthy heart
• Açai berries contain amino acids which are said to help promote muscle performance, production of energy, endurance and strength (excellent news if you're an avid gym goer)
• Açai berries are said to contain as much vitamin C as blueberries, and also contain vitamins A, B1, B2, B3 and E. They are also a source of calcium, magnesium, zinc and copper.
• Interestingly they are one of the only fruits on the planet to be naturally sugar free

And with that, let's crack on with how to make some nutritious yet delicious pancakes full of antioxidants and extra goodness.

YOU WILL NEED

1. A punnet of berries like blueberries or blackberries (I really recommend raspberries for this)
2. One pack of Sambazon superfruit
3. Cinnamon (optional)
4. Ground ginger (optional)
5. Mint (optional)
6. Pancake ingredients (whether you go for standard, buckwheat or other, this is up to you!)

METHOD

1. Cook your pancakes in advance and leave warming in a stack in the oven
2. Empty one pack of Sambazon superfruit into a pan and add a small handful of berries
3. Keep on a medium-low heat and keep stirring until the fruit softens and breaks down a little (not too much though as you don't want mush!)
4. Taste as you go. You can add cinnamon / ground ginger if you wish
5. Dish up the pancakes and top with the açai berry compote, fresh berries (I used raspberries) and a sprig of fresh mint (optional)

FINAL RESULT

I was really pleased with how my berry compote turned out (and for the record, it was every bit as delicious as it looks!). It barely took any time to rustle up, and really couldn't be any easier.

If you're looking for a pancake topper full of berries and antioxidants, you know where to go. Sambazon products like this one can be found in the freezer aisle of Wholefoods and Ocado (I've also seen on Amazon). Each pack contains four individually sealed bags. Simply keep frozen until needed and once thawed, do not re-freeze. For a full list of stockists, you can find these on the Sambazon website here, or feel free to reach out to the Sambazon team who will be more than happy to help.

Alternatively the Sambazon superfruit packs are also great for smoothies, smoothie bowls and porridge toppers (you can find a full list of recipes here).

How do you like your pancakes?

RECIPE // beetroot rosti with avocado

If you had told me when I was little that one day I would be so crazy about avocado that I would even eat it for breakfast, I would have laughed in disbelief. Because avocado is green. And back then I was *quote* allergic *end quote* to anything green. So the very thought of avocado toast would have been ludicrous. But here we are. Here we are in an age where our news feeds are image after image of the green stuff.

But why stop there? If we are going to turn to turn the rules of acceptable breakfast fare upside down, why not go all the way? Which is where ladies and gentlemen, I throw beetroot into the mix.

Full of iron, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B, and a good source of folic acid, fibre and potassium, beetroot is proven to be good for us. So why is the idea of eating it first thing in the morning unfathomable? No more, my friends.

The other morning I made these beetroot rosti's (think of them as classy hash browns, if you will!) and oh my word, why haven't we tried this sooner? Beetroot is good. That is, if you can overlook its messy demeanour.

With beetroot forever staining my skin / clothing / crockery / work surfaces, the Marigold Extra Safe Disposable Gloves* I was sent to review were perfect for the job.

But Lucy, there are so many disposable gloves out there, I hear you say. Why these gloves?

Well, the Marigold Extra Safe Disposable Gloves mark the launch of the first ever gloves made with food preparation and handling in mind. With the added benefits of being:

• 100% latex free - perfect for those with latex allergies

• Tested to EN standards and having the ECARF label and seal of approval

• 100% powder free - having tried out the gloves for myself, I can verify I didn't have any sort of powder or grit contaminating my food or any leftover on my hands afterwards. Nor did my hands have that weird plastic glove smell afterwards (win!)

All in all, meaning that your hands have the ultimate protection against smells and stains. Which when you cook with garlic as much as I do, is music to your ears.

For the ultimate test against the trinity of stains, smells and rips, I decided that a beetroot rosti would fit the bill perfectly for the following reasons:

• Stains - would the gloves protect my hands from the sheer bloodshed you get from opening a pack of beetroot?

• Smells - would the gloves help with the classic annoyance of having my hands and nails smell of garlic DAYS after I have cooked with the damn thing?

• Rips - how would the gloves fare against a grater when I grated the potatoes and beetroot?

And I must say, I was impressed. I had already hoped that my hands would be stain and smell free - because that's the very least you can ask from gloves like these. However I honestly didn't expect them to survive the grater. Because I wasn't exactly being light handed on the thing. If I wasn't wearing gloves, I probably would have shred my fingers to pieces!

The end result was delicious (the rosti's not the gloves!). I pan fried each rosti for approx 4-6 minutes on each side and then served whilst hot with a generous sprinkling of rock salt to help enhance the crunch of the rosti, and topped with buttery avocado slices. Because beetroot and avocado is a winning flavour combination (go try it if you haven't already!). And what better way to start your day than with a colourful plate staring up at you?

Perfect for breakfast / brunch / lunch, if you want to give this colourful plate a go one day, you can find the full recipe below:

YOU WILL NEED...

• x4 large Maris Piper potatoes
• x3 cloves of garlic
• Pack of x4 ready to eat beetroot
• Salt and pepper
• Cooking oil
• x1 avocado

METHOD

1. Scrub potatoes to remove any excess dirt. Do not peel as there are so many good nutrients in the skin and it would be a shame to waste them!
2. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and boil your potatoes for 7-8 minutes on a medium-high heat.
3. Run your potatoes through a colander and drain. Leave to one side to cool.
4. Once cool, grate the potatoes (I use an IKEA grater container as it makes grating so much easier and neater, keeping it all contained in one place)
5. Transfer your shredded potatoes into a large mixing bowl
6. Season with salt and pepper and add the crushed garlic
7. Next grate the beetroot - things will get messy! This is where having the Marigold Extra Safe Disposable Gloves came in really handy, protecting my hands.
8. Add the beetroot to the other ingredients in the mixing bowl. Combine and form however many patties you like (I made x8 big ones!). The mixture will very quickly look like super pink burgers!
9. Oil a frying pan and fry each rosti for 4-6 minutes on each side, or until golden. Dab each one off on kitchen towel once done to mop up the excess oil
10. Serve whilst hot, adding more seasoning to taste

Makes approx x8 rosti's

Do let me know in the comments below or by reaching out to me on Twitter or Instagram (I'm @Lucy_Angele on both!) if you give this recipe a try! It's something a little bit different from avocado toast, but is every bit as tasty!

* Post sponsored by Marigold

Trying Polish food for the first time with Polish Village Bread

I must admit, but despite being a foodie, I haven't tried a whole lot of different cuisines. I'm as fond of an Italian, Chinese or Indian as the next person, but embarrassingly I haven't tried much else. I had my first taste of Columbian food last year but other than that, I haven't had much exposure to other types of food.

When Polish Village Bread got in touch inviting me to try Polish food for the first time, I was really excited to try something new. Because I genuinely had no idea what a typical Polish dish was or the sorts of things eaten.

A lovely member of the team came to my door and hand delivered a bulging tote bag of goodies. I am still over-whelmed with the team's generosity and the amount of food they provided. All of the savoury items they provided were already cooked and didn't take long to heat through by means of shallow frying, microwaving or booshing in the oven. Read on for my first experience of Polish cuisine!

Breaded chicken topped with mushrooms and cheese

Piers k Kurczaka w Pierzynce

This was very much like a pizza except with breaded chicken instead of a traditional dough. The crunch of the chicken contrasted really well with the texture of the vegetables and the melted cheese. It was super tasty and so easy to prepare after a long day at work - something I could easily eat every day!

PANCAKES

But not pancakes as you know them! These were more like croquettes with their crunchy exterior and a fluffy filled interior. I tried three different flavours which included:

Croquettes with spinach and cheese

Krokiety z Serem Typu Greckiego i Szpinakiem

These were my favourite of the three! The cheese in these ones tasted slightly different like they contained a garlic and herb soft cheese rather than a plain soft cheese. The middles were deliciously creamy and smooth to contrast against the crunch of the shell of the croquette.

Croquettes with mushrooms and cheese

Krokiety z Grzybami i Serem

Again, good flavours, generously filled and a good amount of crunch. To contrast, this was more of a saltier dish. I like things seasoned well so this didn't bother me one bit. The mushrooms tasted like they had been cooked in soy sauce - but don't quote me on this!

Spicy chicken and mixed veg pancake

Krokiety Mek Sykanskie

These were spiced, but not spicy (perfect for my palette as I can't tolerate spice!) These were the most generously filled krokiety and contained veg and pulses like kidney beans and sweetcorn. That combined with the spices, meant that it had a slight Mexican feel to it and were very colourful inside.

DUMPLINGS

My new favourite Polish word: pierogi. Before now I never knew what pierogi actually meant, I just liked saying it! Pierogi turns out to be plump pillowy little dumplings, beautifully crimped into little sun / flower shapes. I tried three flavours:

Dumplings with pork and onions

Pierogi z Miesem

I preferred this pork filling to the pork in the stuffed cabbage parcels (below). These were very well seasoned and tasty as.

Potato and cheese dumplings

Pierogi Ruskie

Not the easiest of things to photograph due to its samey colouring, but otherwise very smooth, soft and creamy which made for a very nice combination. One of my favourite pierogi. 

Sauerkraut and mushroom dumplings

Pierogi z Kapusta i Grzybami

As with the other dumplings, a good and very tasty dough, which was generously filled. This was my least favourite flavour of dumplings (but that's because I'm not a massive fan of sauerkraut!).

Cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and pork

Golabki

These had a very crumbly texture in the middle with the rice and pork mince mixture. The cabbage was my favourite part of this dish as it hadn't lost its crunch completely. My only critique of this one was that I cooked as per the instructions on the pack but it didn't get very hot. So my advice is that you would need to heat this one longer to get to perfect eating temperature.  

Fruit cake

I also received a cake which I was very excited about as I do love a good dessert! I only know "fruit cake" in the British sense of fruit cake and that's a cake I really do not like. The Polish take on fruit cake was much more up my street with none of the dried fruit nonsense. Instead it was more of a fluffy sponge with fruit on top. It felt massively guilt free because as well as having lots of lovely berries on top, it was also very light and low in sugar. I took the cake with me to work and everyone in the office said it was one of the loveliest cakes they have ever had!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

So now you can see what I mean when I said it was a very generous food parcel!
I was also sent a capacious tote bag, wooden spoon and jigsaw puzzle.

I would just like to say a massive Polish dziękuję (thank you is pronounced jen-KOO-yeh!) to the team for their generosity and for giving a chance to sample food that I haven't tried before. You can find a full list of the Polish Village Meals range here.

The plant based afternoon tea with a difference at Farmacy

What difference you ask? This being that Farmacy is reportedly the first London restaurant to serve CBD; the non psychoactive constituent of the cannabis plant, famed for its feel good and health benefits (reportedly good for inflammation, pain relief, and even helping enhance memory and cognitive function). CBD - otherwise known as Cannabidiol - is one of approximately 104 chemical compounds (cannabinoids) found in the cannabis plant. Some of these cannabinoids are intoxicating and reflect the aspect of the cannabis plant that you may be more familiar with(!), but CBD is completely non psychoactive, meaning it doesn't produce the same sort of effects.

So no, I wasn't going to get stoned. But I liked the idea of going for a feel good, healthier take on an afternoon tea. Farmacy's plant-based High Tea is free from dairy, refined sugars, additives and chemicals and I was intrigued how it would shape out as for me personally, sugary cakes and biscuits are my vice

THE FOOD

The food was beautifully presented on a very Instagrammable three tier stand with a log slice base, copper framework and crown of foliage. LOOK HOW PRETTY

The middle plate contained all the savory offerings and at the time of my visit, these included smoked carrot and chickpea blinis, mushroom and spinach quiches (almond milk used as the dairy substitute here) x2 open sandwiches on charcoal bread (one cucumber and dill with a cream cheese substitute, the other roasted peppers with chilli). The open sandwiches were a clever twist on an afternoon tea classic and the smoked carrot ribbons on the blinis were much like smoked salmon, both in appearance and texture.

I will say however, to not pin too many hopes on the menu that you see on the Farmacy website because this is subject to availability and or / seasonality. For example, I was really excited by the prospect of pulled jackfruit tacos but we didn't have these on the day. As it turns out, the roasted peppers with chilli on charcoal bread was an excellent substitution and was in fact one of my favourite things from the day. So no harm done.

The top layer contained all manner of sweet treats. These being strawberry and rose jelly, apple pie, CBD truffles (supposedly tahini and dark chocolate) and raspberry pavlova. A lot of these constructions were especially impressive given that these were free from dairy and refined sugars.

I'm not usually a fan of pavlova (or meringue in general), but as the meringues were crafted differently (using aquafaba, or chickpea water), this was a pavlova I could get behind. I was dubious about how good the truffles would be given that these were dairy and sugar free, but they were good and chocolately and melted in the mouth. Again, the online menu is subject to variations and two of the things I was most looking forward to (the chocolate & praline ganache and the strawberry & cashew mousse) weren't available on the day. The apple pie was a worthy adversary though and it takes a lot for me to say my favourite dessert was the non chocolate one!

Finally the last layer housed an afternoon tea classic - scones. These were pretty sizable poppy seed scones served with dairy free coconut clotted cream and homemade jam. The jam was less jam more couli due to its runny nature, but we didn't mind this as it tasted every bit as good.

People often question how much flavour vegetarian and sugar free / dairy free / plant based foods can have, but I have to say, everything we had was flavoured really well and far from bland and boring. Also it was really refreshing to go to an afternoon tea and NOT feel like I was going to burst afterwards.

THE DRINKS

Upon arrival we were reportedly going to receive a CBD infused cocktail (this being Heart Chakra Rose Infusion & fresh raspberries shaken with vodka & lemon), but we never received this. However we were given free rein of the cocktail menu which I actually preferred as I'm not really a vodka drinker. Instead my sister and I opted for the "RUM ME UP THE RIGHT WAY" (rum, mango and lime) which contained a good and generous measure of rum.

Farmacy's High Tea differed from that of a standard afternoon tea in that you didn't receive tea until the END of the meal. I'm still not sure how I feel about this as one of the things I love most about afternoon teas is having the tea WITH the food and having your teapot refilled with hot water every so often. On the day we visted we did wonder if they had forgotten the tea as our table was cleared and we actively had to ask for the tea menu. My sister opted for the ginger and lemon tea whereas I had the hemp tea (not too dissimilar to a chamomile tea or green tea, it turns out).

THE VENUE

I feared it could be uncomfortably upmarket or hipster, however it was very relaxed and we couldn't fault the staff who were all incredibly friendly (and like genuinely friendly, not forced). My sister and I decided it felt like "sitting in a garden centre café" due to plants and ivy trailing the ceilings, window ledges and shelving at the bar. It all felt very natural (to match the food no doubt) with chipboard walls and jute rugs presented on the walls as art.

The toilets were another highlight with this dreamy animal print wallpaper

Obligatory toilet selfies to test the lighting

Shirt - Anthropologie (sold out) - similar here which I have also purchased!

Military button shorts - Morgan de Toi

The building's exterior did make me think of a re-purposed former pharmacy. Which got me thinking if the name "Farmacy" is inspired by the plant based menu (i.e farmed from the land) and if its a play on words for "pharmacy" whereby the food is good for the soul and remedies all life's ills... although admittedly, maybe I'm reading a little TOO much into it ;)

High Tea is priced at £42 per person

To view the menu and / or book a table click here

FARMACY

74 WESTBOURNE GROVE,

NOTTING HILL 

LONDON

W2 5SH

Disclaimer: this afternoon tea was entirely paid for ourselves. I'm sharing because both food and atmosphere were fab and thought they deserved a mention!