Wednesday 20 February 2008

Curse of the Francesinha

Melvin seems to have had a change of heart today...

He has been unhealthily lusting after another Francesinha.  I think he should eat a salad and call it a day.

(According to wikipedia there are many variations on this cholesterol love-fest.  Even one that is cooked in a wood-fired oven, have a look)

-Rajesh

Encyclopedia of Chili Sauce, No. 2: Chinese Hot Chili Oil

Nice heat and flavour that goes well with Won Ton noodle Soup.

Wong Kei 41-43 Wardour Street, London, W1D 6PY

 
On a cold day in the west end when you're on your own and looking for a quick and cheep eat,  the Wong Kei is the place to go.
 
Won Ton noodle Soup takes about 5 mins to arrive with 5 or 6 nicely cooked won tons, a good basic stock, noodles, chinese greens and a free pot of jasmine tea all for £2.80 you can't go wrong.
 

Tuesday 19 February 2008

Encyclopedia of Chili Sauce, No. 1: 'Macarico Hot Sauce'



While at Cantinho we came across this sauce.

Not as hot as we'd like, but it's nice olivey flavour went well with our Francesinha.

O Cantinho de Portugal, 135-137 Stockwell Road, London, SW9 9TN




A Portuguese friend brought this very curious sandwich to our attention, the 'Francesinha'.   The Francesinha is not for the feint hearted.  Beware, this  is not the sandwich of your lunch-break. 
The Francesinha consists of: A minute steak, ham, portuguese sausage and frankfurter between a fluffy portuguese roll covered in melted cheese.  All this is served up to you basking in a rich sauce that has been stewed for four hours and that includes (allegedly): beer, wine, whiskey and port.
The first thing that hits you when it is brought to your table is the overwhelming size (with chips on the side).   The smokey saltiness of the four meats combined with the twang of the sauce makes for a very interesting first bite.   The cheese fuses nicely with the sauce, the whole experience is very rich.  Melvin thought it was good but wasn't crazy about it, he feels there is a lot of potential in this dish and wants to investigate it in it's natural habitat of Porto one day.  Rajesh on the other hand liked it very much, however feels he may be slightly intoxicated off the sauce.

Overall a heavy assault on your gut, but a good one nonetheless.  We recommend ordering one and sharing between two.  A cheap eat at £6.50.