A few weeks ago I was invited over for a birthday sleepover - reminiscent of pajama parties in years past :) A bunch of girls in PJs gossiping, drinking, eating waaaaayyyyyyyy too much and watching cheesy movies. Perfect!
For the main evening meal (yes, there were MANY side meals too!) we went Indian emmm mmmm.... Provided by the lovely Pali and her assistant Jo. While we waited for a 10 litre pot of rice to boil (alright slight exaggeration there...) we munched through mango salsa, raita (Indian cucumber salad with yogurt) and these cute little papadums.
Although I'm not usually a fan of mangos bought from British supermarkets (only place to buy them are from Indian and Pakistani shops in summer!), the ones that went into this salad just sweet enough for a salad. Finely chopped red onion, mint and and green chilli completed the salad very nicely. I can't say exactly say what went into the raita, as I was too busy stuffing myself by this time, but can only point out the obvious - yogurt, gratted cucumber and (the slightly less obvious) mint.
For mains we had chicken curry, aloo gobi (a 'dry' vegetable curry of cauliflower and potatoes) and white rice. Oh yum ... my is watering and my tummy rumbling as I look back at my photos! As the chicken was simmering away when I arrived and the aloo gobi was provided by Pali's mum, I was not able to penetrate into the mysterious world of Indian cooking. Maybe another time, Pali? ;)
Raise a glass to the birthday girl! A glass of bubbly with a strawberry. It makes a very pretty picture:) And what would birthday bubbly be without cake? Bought from Marks and Spencer's, it was a nice sponge cake with a jam filling (respberry, perhaps?). Like so many things from Marks, the cake was good and well worth the money, but it won't blow your socks off.
Apart from the mountain (ok ok small hill, AT LEAST!) of crisps and chocolate we consumed, we also had moist chocolate cake and chocolate cheesecake brownie - provided by this author :D No photos of the chocolate cheesecake brownie, I'm afraid (forks dived straight in before I could take a shot) but here's one of the moist chocolate cake. Oh yes, it was very good indeed! I discovered this place in Clapham Common about a year ago and I still don't know the name. It's a little deli with floor to wall shelves on one side filled with 'exotic' Italian, Spanish, etc products, a deli counter where you can get meats, cheeses and made to order sandwiches. The star of the place (for me at least) is the front window where the baked goodies are placed. Cakes and tarts and puddings galore. Nothing is cheap - expect to pay about £4 a slice but it's well worth it. And if you feel like sitting in, there are a few wooden communal tables at the back where there's full service.
After a night of fooding, a few of us (minus two who had to head off) headed out in search of ... FOOD! Hahaha... we are die hard foodies! We had a few choices but agreed on a Sunday roast at a pub (again I can't remember the name). For all my best intentions (my one request was a place that had salad on the menu), I soon fell. I couldn't resist the tempation. Salad is only for the strong willed which I'm not. Oh what the heck... the roast dinner probably tasted so much yummier anyway ;) Ram's order of roast chicken.... hahahahah.........yes, 1/2 a bird that looked like a duck! That's one heck of a chicken I say. Greedy me (and Jo too ... haha) did immediately regret not going for the chicken. My (megre by comparison) portion of roast lamb with all the trimmings - roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips, broccoli, yorkshire pudding and gravy - was a bit too dry and the slice of beef which I swapped with Jo was a tad dry too. Then again I like my beef nice and bloody..heh! About £10 per roast dinner...I guess it wasn't too bad. A few more drinks and a few more drinks and a few more.. we called it a day (or I called it a Monday..Jo couldn't get rid of me that night...hehe..sorry Joey!)
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