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Wandering Loulou

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Wandering Loulou

Category Archives: Leith

Curry, bhajis and dosa at Edinburgh Mela

03 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by wanderingloulou in Edinburgh eats, Edinburgh Mela, Leith

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

bhaji, Curry, dosa, edinburgh, edinburgh mela, goan curry, indian food, lamb curry, paneer

Edinburgh’s annual Mela kicked off on Friday night with a stunning fireworks display in Leith Links, along with the story of Rama and Sita told through shadow puppetry. After an enchanting evening, I had one thing on my mind – tasty Indian food. And lots of it.

Leith Links was transformed into a bustling hive of festival activity, with heavenly scents wafting from each stall where chickpeas sizzled and fresh mango lassis were dispensed. Colourful scarfs and traditional Indian dress fluttered in the light breeze, while the infectious low beat of drums topped off the festival atmosphere.

After a little African storytelling it was time for lunch. I made a beeline for the Goan curry stand and opted for a deliciously spiced lamb curry with rice, salad, yoghurt dressing and lime pickle.


My friend picked a paneer dosa – like a pancake with cheese inside – along with some dipping sauces and some veggie bhajis with a yummy mild sauce. Everyone sat around eating on the grass, and the Mela had a really relaxed feel to it, with plenty to see for everyone.

Big tip for the Mela next year? Don’t arrive too late – as we left at around 4pm the queue was enormous!

Mexican takeaway from Los Cardos

10 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by wanderingloulou in A wee bit of what you fancy, Edinburgh eats, Leith, Takeaway

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Bite Magazine, edinburgh, los cardos, mexican, nachos, quesadilla, takeaway

Last night I found a little slice of Mexican heaven…

 

…Los Cardos review for Bite Magazine coming soon.

What a weasel eats on its birthday…

24 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by wanderingloulou in A wee bit of what you fancy, Eating out, Edinburgh eats, Leith

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

birthday, birthday cake, breakfast, cake, chicken, coconut, fry up, hemma, holyrood 9a, mimis bakehouse, nobles

It happens to us all, we all get older, ok?! And as more than one of my friends pointed out – if you’re not getting older, you’re most likely dead. These are the kind of people I choose to spend my time with.

In a futile attempt to stop the aging process/conduct a scientific experiment that would freeze the ages of my cells with alcohol (with absolutely zero scientific basis)/get so drunk I didn’t remember I was turning a year older…off I trotted to Hemma and Holyrood 9a with my lovely pals. Many pints of Black Isle blonde were consumed, as were copious amounts of Innis and Gunn, and a delightful evening was had by all. I even got a little surprise, baked by the fair hands of my super thoughtful boyfy, Rob…

Man, that boy bakes good cake.

To clear away the cobwebs it was entirely necessary to head to Nobles and eat my body weight in fried foodstuffs the next day.

Quite possibly one of the best fry ups to be had in Edinburgh, and served until 5pm, luckily.
Heading to work on Monday you’d think I’d be a little sad the festivities were over…but no birthday would be complete without a copy team outing to Mimi’s Bakehouse!

The crispy coconut chicken with tangy mango salsa is a summer menu treat, but the real main event came after…

A generous slice of Bounty sponge cake, which I was so ready to devour I forgot to take a photograph before I stuck in. We voted it a ten out of ten.

All in all a pretty outstanding birthday. BIG SHOUT OUTS to my brother Mark for making it so special with banners and bubbly, to Rob for his phenomenal cake making and to all the lovely people who came to celebrate the fact I’m still alive – yay!

Dinner at Roseleaf bar cafe

28 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by wanderingloulou in Eating out, Edinburgh eats, Leith

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Cooking, edinburgh, food, Gluten, Gluten Free, Gluten-free diet, Home, Restaurants, Roseleaf, Salmon, Shopping, Special Diets, The Shore

I’m lucky enough to have the Roseleaf as (one of) my locals down at the Shore, and have spent many a cosy evening in this welcoming little place with friends or the boyfriend and a glass of wine.

Last night I took my Mum here for dinner, as I’d heard they have a rather good gluten-free selection – and they do! If the cute, vintage-inspired décor and pot-tails (cocktails in teapots, of course!) aren’t enough to draw you in, the food certainly should be.

Every possible dietary requirement was clearly marked out on the menu and Mum was delighted to find Goc stood for gluten free with oatcakes. I was impressed – normally it’s a struggle to find somewhere catering so perfectly to gluten-free diets.

We both went for the Sicilian Salmon – a seared salmon loin on a bed of warm caponata salad including peppers, aubergines, olives and capers, surrounded by a creamy plum tomato and yoghurt dressing and garnished with plenty of rocket.

It took a little while for our order to come out, but when it finally did I enjoyed every mouthful. I particularly liked the crispiness of the salmon skin and the rocket and creamy dressing worked well together. This would be the perfect dish on a sunny afternoon with a crisp glass of white wine.

I loved the Roseleaf before, and now I’ve tried its food I love it even more.

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Tapa review for Bite Magazine

12 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by wanderingloulou in Eating out, Edinburgh eats, Leith, Madrid, Tasty travels

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Bite Magazine, Cook, Edinburgh restaurant, food, leith, Madrid, restaurant, restaurant review, Spain, Spanish, Spanish cuisine, tapa, tapas

Recently I had the pleasure of reviewing Tapa Restaurant in Leith for Bite Magazine.

A year spent living in Madrid ignited my passion for Spanish food and the food served in Tapa would certainly not have been out of place in the sun-drenched Plaza Santa Ana, where I whiled away many a pleasant afternoon with friends and a caña or two…

Keep an eye out for the July edition of Bite where you can see the review in print and read lots of other exciting foodie related stories.

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Hot stuff: Mexican cookery class at Leith Academy

30 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by wanderingloulou in Cookery classes, Edinburgh eats, Leith, Mexican

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Caribbean, chocolate, cookery class, Cooking, Home, Leith Academy, Leith Walk, mexican cookery class, Mexican cuisine, mexican rice, Mexico, Rob, scotch bonnet, torrejas mexicanas, tortillas

Saturday was one of the hottest days of the year so far, and things certainly heated up in the home economics classroom at Leith Academy. It was the inaugural Mexican Cookery class – part of Leith Academy’s adult learning programme – and my first one-day cookery class.

Having bought what seemed to be enough ingredients to feed a family of four (Mexicans) for two weeks, I loaded up my very kind boyfriend Rob like a packed donkey and we carted ourselves over to the school. In hindsight, it would have made a lot more sense to take the class with some friends, as most of the other attendees had, so I could have shared the ingredients and spread the cost. But hey, you go to school to learn, don’t you?

The class was taught by the very personable and knowledgeable Sara, who gave us all a little insight into the type of food real Mexicans eat when at home. The idea behind the class, she said, was to tackle misconceptions about Mexican food – and the colourful menu did just that.

Interspersed with cooking tips, were facts about the ingredients and little quips about everyday life in Mexico – I feel like I came away with much more than simply the experience to create some great Mexican dishes.

Apparently Mexican food is one of two UNESCO world heritage cuisines, the other being French. Mexican food is also one of the world’s first fusion foods – following the Spanish invasion Mexico was used as a port between east and west, so there is a strong Arab influence, plus Indian and Caribbean flavours.

Sara showed us a large lump of chocolate, which looked more like a brown patty than the slick packaged stuff we’re used to, and explained that was what she ate as a child for a treat. Real chocolate doesn’t contain any of the sugar like ours does, and has a more bitter taste.

Without a fajita or a burrito in sight, we started with the main course since it needed to marinate and then spend a few hours in the oven – pork baked in banana leaves. The meat was smeared with all manner of deliciousness, including dried chilli pequin, and achiote paste. Achiote is an aromatic spice made from the seed of a tree in the Caribbean, and while smelling lovely…dyed my fingers, skin and clothes a rather fetching shade of bright orange!

Once the pork was ready, we folded it into a parcel of banana leaves – I got mine at the Chinese supermarket on Leith Walk – and apparently they were the most impressive banana leaves ever, they were almost as tall as me!

Cooking the refried beans proved pretty easy, and Sara said refried beans with chorizo or bacon spread on toast is a typical breakfast in Mexico – sounds good to me.

Making the tortillas was most fun. Authentic tortillas are much smaller than the ones we buy in the shops over here, by about half the size. The trick was to get the dough just the right consistency, so that it stuck together and didn’t break when you pulled it apart.

Traditional tortillas are made with maize flour, which is gluten-free – I’ll be making these for my mum. I got a little bit of a rhythm going with my tortilla making, so while one was cooking I was busy flattening the next one.

Additionally we made some tasty Mexican rice and onion salsa with real kick (hello, scotch bonnet).

Finally – and in my pudding-loving-mind, most importantly – came the Torrejas Mexicanas – stacks of yumminess made from bread and manchego cheese covered in beaten eggs then deep-fried. Later I served with a vanilla crème sauce, sprinkled with flaked almonds and cinnamon. Heaven.

I left the class with a real sense of achievement and three bags full of food – perfect for a special anniversary night with my lovely donkey 🙂 Can’t wait for my next cookery class at Leith Academy…

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Yummy soup at I Heart Cafe

27 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by wanderingloulou in Cafes, Eating out, Edinburgh eats, Healthy stuff, Leith

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

beer, cafe, edinburgh, i heart cafe, leith, lunch, soup, tomato

Just discovered this little gem of a cafe on Elm Row when meeting a friend for an after work cuppa. Lovely atmosphere, friendly staff and tasty, freshly cooked grub!

Only after I had ordered the cream of tomato and vegetable soup did I spot the authentic looking tortilla – Spanish omelette – only my favourite food from the year I lived in Spain! (Well, that and churros con chocolate…)

The drinks list looked good, with some of my favourites like Innis and Gunn and William Bros Midnight Sun on offer. The breakfast and brunch menu looked scrummy too.

The best thing is this cosy place is open until 8pm, giving us Leith dwellers a good alternative to the pub after work.

I heart cafe, I’ll be back…

Louise Boyd

Louise Boyd

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