Relaxing Viennese Style: The Delaunay Counter @ Aldwych, London

I stumbled upon the Delaunay Counter, an Austro-Hungarian Café, right after my little tea adventure at the Twinings Tea store the other weekend. As a former student from the University of Vienna, I was curious and drawn in by this little piece of Austria advertising Schnitzel in the middle of London.

First off some background information on the Delaunay dining options: As I soon learned, the Delaunay Counter is the little brother of the Delaunay restaurant. While the restaurant provides slightly more choice and cuisine so haute it would definitely crash into my ceiling as a recent graduate, the café does slightly more simple café food. The prices act correspondingly, with Schnitzel option costing from £15 onwards in the restaurant, whereas Schnitzel sandwiches are only £6 in the café. I do hope the restaurant portion is larger…

While the restaurant focuses on elegance and upper class, the café is definitely more relaxed. Stylishly decorated with dark wood seats and tables and with Austrian ads from the 50s plastering the walls, it has a lovely charm. Even though I couldn’t say it looks like the coffee houses in Austria exactly, it did remind me of Vienna. Anyway, scanning the adverts from a trip to the Steiermark to the ‘latest’ Austrian movie (from 1957) was reason enough for me to come here.

I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, enhanced greatly by the fact that you order at the counter, which looks indeed as if it had been imported from Austria with all its colourful little cakes and biscuits.

The portions are relatively small, of course it being no full restaurant, so if you are very hungry and/or on a budget, think hard about whether this is the right choice. With two “mains”, to be more precise the Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich and the Chef Roast, two small bottles of apple juice and 3 desserts, we left with a bill of £30. Had my friend not been quite full in the first place, it would not have been enough.

However, I must say, in light of the quality, I actually thought it was worth it. But then I am a sentimental fool, who will pay a lot to get a taste of Vienna.

The Chicken Schnitzel, a breaded cutlet for those who have not heard of this Austrian/German classic, came with a light mayonnaise sauce to die for. While the accompanying potato ‘salad’ could probably more fittingly be called ‘ration’ (I hesitate to call four half-slices of potato a salad), it did come with a tangy mustard sauce, a twist on the usual potato salad dressing of mayo or simple vinegar and oil.

The chef roast, though something rather English than Austrian in my eyes, was spectacular. I am very picky with meat, but this roast spot on. The juicy steak was cuddled into a spinach and mushroom filling, complementing it perfectly. And for the crunch, the crispy flaky pastry – a match made in heaven.

The most genuinely Austrian bit about the Delaunay Counter though, was its desserts. I could not resist the slice of Sacher torte smiling at me from the counter, and the Apple Strudel did not get away either. Slightly unconventional, the strudel included walnuts, but I think for those who like them, it would work. Also, there was no offer of “Obers”,i.e. whipped cream with either of the desserts, the major hint that this was not actually Austria. Won’t hurt your figure, though.

The only major drawback about this stylish, upmarket place was the toilet. Even in a walk-in café having just one toilet for all the guests, regardless of gender, is just not on.

But to end on a good note, I can say that if you are an Austrian nostalgic or a tourist, who can’t see the real deal, the Delaunay Counter is definitely worth a visit.

The Delaunay

55 Aldwych

London WC2B 4BB

United Kingdom

英国特色菜Shepherds Pie (牧羊人咸味派)

从我小时候, 我经常让我妈妈做英国饭（她是英国人）。她平时会做Shepherds Pie给我吃。因此长大之后,一想到英国特色菜，我马上会想到这道下边有一层肉，上边有一层土豆泥的菜。做法特别简单，没有很多做饭经验的同学不用担心，你肯定做得到。

配料     （两位）                                                           中等大小的土豆（4个）                                          乳酪 （2-3大勺子）                                    牛奶                                                                      300克羊肉末                                                                    葱或者红洋葱（1个）                                                  蒜 米 （1个）                                                                  胡萝卜（2-3个）                                                          鸡精                                                                                      盐                                                                              胡椒粉                                                                            红椒粉 起司（奶酪）

Ingredients （2 people） 4 middle-sized potatoes 2-3 table spoons of Philadelphia cream cheese Milk for texture 300g minced lamb meat 1 onion (red if you like) 1 garlic  clove 2 – 3 carrots Chicken stock powder Salt Pepper Paprika powder Cheese

做法

1.       削土豆并切成小块，放进滚水里面，煮到可以用叉子把它们捣成泥的程度。（20分钟左右）

2.       控干土豆后，跟乳酪放进大盆里混在一起，捣成泥。最后加点牛奶让它更柔软一点。把土豆泥放置一边。

3.       葱，蒜，胡萝卜切成小块。

4.       锅放油，加葱，蒜与胡萝卜炒一下， 并加一点点水，把胡萝卜煮软。

5.       等胡萝卜够软，水蒸发了 以后，加羊肉末。肉熟了加鸡精，盐胡椒粉与红椒粉。

6.       把肉与胡萝卜放进容器中做成第一层，之后上边放土豆泥做成第二层。

7.       烤箱预热到200·C，把砂锅放进去，烤到上边的土豆泥皮变脆。

8.       随意还可以放点起司在上边，多烤几分钟。

9.       吃，吃，吃！

网上的一些做法还可以加番茄酱与Worcestershire酱，可是我妈妈总是没用过，所以我吃不习惯。希望大家喜欢我介绍的英国菜，别害羞自己随便试试，调整我的做法！

"Tea Town": Twinings Tea Shop @ The Strand London

As a Twinings tea addict of course I could not resist the chance to check out their little shop dedicated to everything in the world of tea (and a little coffee). If you are fed up of only finding a random choice of Twining teas in the supermarkets - they never have the one I want! -, whether you love a stylishly decorated place or if you are simply a tea addict like me, you will love the London Twinings Store at 216 The Strand opposite the Royal Courts of Justice.

The shop catches your eye even when you apporach, simply because it is so small. Wedged into two tall buildings, it looks completely out of place. Stepping inside, the smell of tea wafts right at you, fragrant and fresh. 

The best part for the serious tea shopper is that Twinings has made this a tea emporium in every sense of the word. You can find any kind of Twinings tea from the old classics to the newest range stocked in the shelves. Twinings' own store compared to your regular supermarket is even greater since the tea cheaper here. The regular range is available at around £1,50 and the newest varieties including the "Sensation" brews at £2.

My personal highlight were the little smelling glasses, that are placed with each tea: they contain the corresponding tea bags so you can get a smell and an impression of what the tea is like. This is not only a greatly helpful feature which you will undoubtedly miss in any super market, but also highly addictive, since the smells are simply sooooo good! Just like a visit to the perfume shop, you will find your nose unable to smell after you have inhaled your 5th (or was it the 10th?) wiff of tea. I must have looked like a serious addict to the assistants, since I sniffed at almost every tea in the store - an estimated 200 flavours.

Apart from the smelling bit, another great feature is the pick 'n' mix section, where you can chose single teabags out of a variety of ca. 30 teas. The minimum purchase is 10 teabags at £ 1,50. I was a little disappointed, since I misunderstood the information on the website and imagined a much larger choice - which is probably all for the best or I might have run home with 40 loose tea bags. Even with the "small range" I still managed to find a number of new teas to try including the new christmassy Mulled Spice Edition, the rose tea and the chai (which I will be trying in a minute). 

For the visual people amongst us the shop is simply a sensational sight. The former coffe house was bought by Thomas Twining in 1706 and the decoration of that time has remained. The tea shelves are made of traditional dark wood, with portraits of possibly important people from the 18th century hanging above them and all the furniture in the store is from that same period. For this historical flair alone the shop if worth a tourist visit, even if you don't want to buy tea (which in the end you probably will). And when you have bought the tea, you didn't intend to buy, you can take it away in one of the stylish Twinings paper bags with the current advertising design.

Those who prefer to taste rather than look will be instantly drawn into the tea tasting counter, where a knowledgable assistant poors different teas for you to try while expertly explaining all there is to know about first and second flushes of Assam tea and the like. 

If it is not tea you are after but anything tea related such as coffee, hot chocolate, tea pots and mugs, elegant compartment boxes for the pick 'n' mix - you can find it all here.

This place is a must for Twinings tea nuts, design dorks, tourists and Londoners, and even for royalists (there is a jubilee tea and pot). Whoever you are, I am sure there is something here that will grab your fancy!

And after your visit you can go on to the Twinings website to learn more about the tea you bought, get some great recipes for iced teas or order even more tea!

Tealicious!

Three-course Halloween Meal Inspired By Nigella Lawson

I decided to cook Halloween dinner for my friends and I thought I really need something to celebrate the occasion. Through my recent discovery of the Food Network I have become addicted to Nigella Lawson, that cooking goddess and perused her site for some Halloween meal ideas. A good idea, as it turned out, since my entire three-course Halloween meal ended up based on her Halloween Top 5 of 2012, with my own tiny little twist.

Halloween Menu 2012

Here was the Halloween menu that I decided to go with for the night: 

Starter: 

Green Goo with Pus and Croutons 

(i.e. Pea Soup with Mozzarella Cheese)

For the starter I went with Nigella's Slime Soup. I changed for no reason whatsoever, except I liked it better. 

Now, if you click the link above you will find the whole recipe with peas and blending and blitzing. For a number of reasons including patience, lack of tools and just plain laziness, I did the cheeky thing and bought a Pea and Ham Soup ready at Tescos. 

Ingredients and Recipe: Green Goo with Pus and Croutons (Serves 4-5 as Starter)

Pea and Ham Soup (2x, Tesco)

1 ball of Mozzarella

Garlic

Spinach

Bread

Salt

Pepper

Chili Powder

1. Heat up the soup.

2. Slice the bread into little chunks for croutons and fry in oil with chopped garlic until crispy brown. Add salt, pepper, chili powder and set aside.

3. Chop up some garlic and fry it with the spinach.

4. Chop up the Mozzarella into little squares and add it only AFTER TAKING THE SOUP OFF THE HEAT. *

5. Add some spinach and croutons.**

Taddaaa, your green goo with pus is ready to eat. Erm...yumm...

*This is where Nigella and my recipe differ - while she blends the mozzarella and makes everything smooth, I thought just slightly heating up the cheese will mean it looks like pus, which is more disgusting, but also in my opinion gives it better taste.

**I added the spinach to make it look more exciting - more shades of green - and the croutons because I simply love them.

Main Course: 

Witches' Curls with Bloody, Severed Fingers 

(or Green Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Hamburger Fingers)

This is the recipe most loosely based on Nigella's Witches' Hair, all I stole here was the idea of having pasta in a non-too regular colour. As it turned out, my supermarket only had greens spinach pasta, which reminded me of curly hair, hence the change of name compared to Nigella. Thinking of imitating blood of course a tomato sauce came to mind, however it seemed to be missing that extra something. The American classic Spaghetti Meatballs then stirred in me the idea that I could shape the meat into fingers, using almonds by way of imitating finger nails. Voilà, my main course was created. Again, I must admit the tomato sauce was a ready one - forgive me, I am just a recent graduate living on a budget and without the cooking tools. You are very welcome to make it from scratch.

Ingredients and Recipe: Witches Curls with Bloody, Severed Fingers

Sauce

Tomato Sauce (any brand and variation of your choosing)

250g fresh cherry tomatoes

Chili Powder

Parmesan

Pine Nuts

Fingers (German burger mixture)

400g minced meat (best is a pork and beef mixture)

1 soaked roll

1 egg

1/2 onion

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

Parmesan

Paprika powder

Salt

Pepper

Blanched almonds

Pasta

Any pasta of your choice, preferably in an unusual colour, e.g. green (spinach) or black (octopus ink).

Since the fingers take the most time, start with them.

Making the Fingers

1. Soak the roll in water.

2. Add it to a bowl with the raw meat, egg, chopped onions, ketchup, parmesan, paprika powder, salt and pepper and start mashing it all up. 

3. Take a little portion of the mixture and form it into a finger. 

4. Add an almond as finger nail - push it in deep enough to stay put, but not so deep as to make it disappear.

5. After shaping your fingers, add oil to a pan and then fry from both sides until done (ca. 5 minutes).

Making the Sauce

1. Put your tomato sauce into a pot to heat.

2. Add some salt, pepper an parmesan to the sauce. (I also like to add a bit of milk to get the rest of the sauce out of the glass and make it more creamy)

3. Chop the fresh tomatoes into quarters and add them to the sauce to stew in.

4. Fry the pine nuts in a separate pan with a bit of oil and put them on the side.

Final Steps

1. Boil the pasta and drain it.

2. Arrange pasta on a plate, add some of the tomato sauce in the middle. 

3. Add some fingers on top and drape a bit more of the tomato sauce on them, so they look like they are sticking out of a pool of blood.

4. Add the pine nuts and some fresh parmesan.

And your done!

Dessert: 

Blood Clots and

 DIY Halloween Cookies

The DIY cookies I found in Morrissons and I knew they would be a lot of fun. Ginger-flavoured and shaped like pumpkins they came with a little decoration set, so your guests can have some fun dessert. We also had some Haribo Halloween gummies, which we then added to the range of cookie decoration.

The blood clots are based on this fun recipe by Nigella and have not been tampered with. Very simple too. I discovered afterwards that she has made it even scarier, take a look here.

Just mix three different kinds of jelly - rasperry, strawberry and blackcurrant into one bowl, take a fork and mess about with it until it is all ...well...clotty ;) Yummy-licious and my personal favourite on the scary-looks scale!

Halloween Decoration

As I enjoy a bit of kitschy decoration, I could not resist dressing the plates up a little. While I neither have a fortune to spend, nor did I have the time to go hunt for Halloween decoration, this was entirely homemade. The Halloween menu was printed out on photo paper, so guests can take it home and have a souvenir. The paper curls I made myself with very simple help from Photoshop, a printer and some pencils. After cutting out the strips of ghosts, witches and pumpkins, I wrapped them around pencils over night, held in place with a little tape and just unwrapped them shortly before the guests arrived. As easy as that. 

Happy Halloween Everyone!

TGI Live Asian Halloween Party @ Anaya London Club

As a "new Londoner" my experience of London night life is limited - to put it mildly. So, I was happy, I did not have to spend Halloween watching horror videos in front of the telly but rather with my Taiwanese friends at TGI Live's Asian Halloween Party in Anaya London Club.

My initial worry, that my friend and me would be the only ones actually wearing costumes was completely unnecessary. While many Chinese friends I have encountered are a bit shy when it comes to dressing-up, this bunch went wild. If you were looking for dead barbies, walking skeletons or Alice in Wonderland characters, this was the place to be on Halloween. 

I learned a lot about the different partying styles of the world - mainly English vs. Chinese, which was enlightening. While the party took a while to get going, I learned this is completely normal in China, where people enjoy a drink first to get all excited and only then storm the dance floor. My main point of comparison being Newcastle, I guess it would have been difficult for any nation - or any other British city in fact - to keep up.

A little bit of TGI Live's party decoration

I loved the Halloween decoration. The cobwebs and spiders and skeletons gave the otherwise stylish ambiance of the club a nice Halloweeny feel. However, my main highlight was without much doubt the music. While I have made peace with the fact that Newcastle club speakers will always blast the same UK Top 40 at you, TGI Live's DJ catered to the Asian crowd by playing the biggest and best of KPop (with a main focus on Big Bang and the current chart topper Gangnam Style). The additional plus were the screens which showed the corresponding videos of any track played, so I could stare at my favourite video of all time, Fantastic Baby, while dancing about like a little, overexcited girl. 

My favourite Big Band vid - Fantastic Baby @ Anaya London 

As many others, I did not think my costume through well enough in terms of effect. While dressing up als Elphaba from the musical Wicked, i.e. painting my skin completely green, gets you a lot of attention on the street, in a dark club many people failed to notice I was dressed up at all. The same went for those who went with a subtle shade of white. However, the pictures discovered in the aftermath show very nicely the different costumes and you can experience the whole party from a completely different angle looking at them and thinking "Wow, that's what they actually looked like?!".

All in all, TGI Live's Asian Halloween Party was a great event to be at for the music, the place and the people. So, see you there next year ;)

And Happy Halloween!