The hardest part

The thing about letting go is that saying goodbye isn't exactly the hardest part. The hardest part is that time between your last few moments and the final touch. There's a bittersweet taste to the last few minutes because more often than not you spend it reminiscing about good times whilst a voice in your head calls you to the present time and you realise there's not much left. There's a soreness to the last touch because you don't want it to end and when it does, you're left wanting more (but can't) except all you can do is watch until you're left on your own.

08 March 2011. Yesterday London celebrated Pancake Day. Yesterday the world waved the vajayjay flag for International Women's Day. Yesterday, I let go. Again.

coconut yogurt

Another Dr. Oetker product that I actually like? The Onken range of yogurt. 450grams of potted bacterial milk fermentation. Yum. I usually play it safe with yogurt, it’s either plain Greek-style or natural for me. However, the Onken yogurts are really nice and they actually taste like the fruit, and not the syrup. Their Mango, Papaya & Passionfruit biopot is a nice treat that takes you back to the tropics. Mmmm.

One day as I was doing some weekly food shopping, I stopped by the dessert section and a black yogurt pot caught my eye. It said Onken Coconut. That exact moment, I suddenly knew how Charlie Bucket felt when he found the last  golden ticket. I’ve been looking (though not exactly actively) for this particular flavor since I saw the advert in 2008 but never got to see it stocked in supermarkets until that day. It was the last biopot in the box that contained 16. It was meant to be. I tried it immediately when I got home and my oh my I nearly cried because I suddenly remembered traipsing and swimming on nice beaches during summertime whilst snow poured out my window. Nonetheless, the limited edition biopot tasted really really really good. Sweet, but not sickly. The yogurt itself is smooth, and the coconut bits make it fun to eat. Mmm.

Coconuts – summer olfactory stimulant. Coconut yogurt – the taste of summer in during winter.

Dr. Oetker's Ristorante Mozzarella

photo credit: The Dr. Oetker Website

I’ve casually slighted the Dr Oetker brand of foods before, for humour’s sake. Stereotyping for fun, my friends and I would throw in our comments in fake German accents and go ‘Ahh. I am made by ze grrreat Dr Oetker. I am wery evviciently struwctured. I am ze schaisse!’. That kind of thing. The advert for their Ristorante pizzas were ridiculed as well. Can them yodelers be any better than their Italian neighbours at pizza-making? Surely not.

And then one cold night, Dr Oetker pizzas were on offer and we shamelessly decided to call the doctor and binge on shop-bought pizzas. Frozen pizzas? Not the freshest, but probably the most convenient. We were surprised with the result.

The Ristorante Mozzarella pizza was actually a delight. Unwrapped, we had to laugh because they looked German-made with the well-proportioned and well-placed mozzarella slices and evenly spread out dollops of pesto. But wow. Those pizzas looked, smelled and tasted fresh. Not bad for frozen and shop-bought. It had a thin base that, when cooked correctly, gives you a very pleasurable crunch. It’s cheesy enough to give you that mozzarella stretch and the pesto bits really bring the dish to its full flavor. It’s so light you can finish the whole 11” lot without feeling guilty and still have room for dessert. Top with some rocket salad and you, my friend, will actually have a very good pizza – well, good enough to be served in chains. It won’t look as rustic as them stonebaked pizzas from Italian kitchens, but it will look absolutely efficiently appetizing.

Mom was right. We should not be scared of doctors.

Those pizzas tasted fresh.

brazas

Forget Nando's, try Brazas!

Possibly the best peri-peri chicken in London! They have loads of really good food as well - the takeaway menu is different from the dine in menu. Every meal is handled with love and care. The family who run the place is absolutely amazing, especially brothers Tony (who is head chef) and Maurillo (chief dessert maker!). You've got to try the chicken and their out of this world kahlua-baileys cheesecake. Wow.

I'm so glad they have a website now, at least people can have a peek at what they have to offer: http://www.brazasrestaurante.com/

Love Brazas: 45 Tulse Hill, London, SW2 2TJ

kinder santas

Santa fell off the chimney and landed on my shelf.
Great stuff for midnight snacking.