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#PizzaGod - blogger delight with Pizza Pilgrims

29/8/2015

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Who likes Pizza? Do you think you are a Pizza Expert? Are you beyond an expert? Are you a Pizza God?
I was lucky enough to be deemed a Pizza God for one evening and with great power comes great responsibility.

Pizza Pilgrims along with Zomato teamed up to run this special event, where eleven bloggers congregated together to decide what would be the October guest Pizza.
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Below are the nominees:


The P.L.T. (by Matteo) White pizza with provola & porchetta, dressed with fresh romaine lettuce and sliced beef tomatoes 


The Mellow Yellow (by Dario) Ricotta infused with saffron, fried courgettes, provola & Parmesan bread crumbs. 


Zucca, I am your father (by Fabio) Pumpkin puree base, rosemary, provola & pancetta 


Bumblebee-Tuna (by Giada) Margherita with tuna, sweetcorn, black olives, sliced red onion, parmesan & basil 


Sausage & Mash (By Alessio) Sausage & Mash Pizza White pizza with Italian fennel salsiccia, onion & porcini gravy, mashed potato, basil & parmesan
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The Mellow Yello
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Zucca, I am your father
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Bumblebee- Tuna
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Sausage & Mash
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The PLT
And the winner is...
Zucca, I am your Father, by Fabio. This was my favourite and the pancetta and pumpkin based stood out for me. The Pizza Pilgrim dough too was amazing on every Pizza and its light and fluffy texture gave it an authentic and fresh feel.


We were probably Pizza'd out at this stage, but there was time for desert.
The owners James and Thom stumbled upon this during their trip to Italy to learn about Pizza. This was the dough with Riccota and Nutella. It was lovely and both sweet and salty. Amazing night and amazing food..
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That looks like a good Pizza
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Check out these bloggers!
Lucky me. I got to try a lot of food and meet a lot of new people and some great bloggers. It was good to hear about all the places they have been to eat and learn a bit from each. Do check out their sites.

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The Ashes 2015: Expect the Unexpected: Originally published on Kettle Mag

27/8/2015

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First published on Kettle Mag http://www.kettlemag.co.uk/article/ashes-2015-expect-unexpected
Five tests is the equivalent of twenty five days - at least that is what we expected. The 2015 edition of The Ashes was an unexpected total of eighteen days. Australia were strong favourites with pundits and fans alike predicting an expected Australian victory. Alas, England did the unexpected and won back the urn. Whether the victory was convincing however is a different matter altogether.  The result was definitely deserved and England won the key battles and sessions that gave them the 3 – 2 win. Can you see a theme?

Where were The Ashes won?I believe that they were won on the green English pitches. Once given the conditions to perform, England’s bowlers embraced the wickets and took to the task of dismantling the Australian attack. On the days it mattered, Anderson and Broad rose to the task of taking wickets and were helped along the way by Finn, Stokes and Wood. Moeen Ali also contributed with regular wickets at big moments and in the three victories it was those spells that led to The Ashes coming back.

The stats do not really show a dominant team and the final score line indicate this. Steve Smith scored most runs in the series, with Chris Rogers and  Joe Root closely following. When you look at the top ten leading runs scorers, this was evenly split between the two teams.

Where we do see a difference between the two teams is in the wickets. Here, England had six of the top ten wickets takers in the series. Australia’s four-man attack contributed with 65 wickets between them. Their English counterparts, albeit with six bowlers, bagged 76. It was in their most menacing spells that they caused the damage. Stuart Broads 8-15 is the standout of the series, but also think back to Finns first bowl back in the side and Anderson’s hostile spell too. Supplemented by Stokes with his five for and England’s bowling unit was a constant threat. Except at Lords and Oval that is.

Australia lost The Ashes early onThis was before any ball had been bowled and before they arrived in England. The selection of the squad was that which relied heavily on the experience of the players who had served the team so well previously. The selectors expected Ryan Harris to shrug off his injuries and all the batsmen to do what they had been doing previously. The loss of Harris, I feel was a key ingredient in the Ashes returning to these rainy shores. His control and pace and ability to bowl length would have caught out the majority of the England team, as shown by Peter Siddle in his one test.  Imagine if Siddle was included earlier - actually, let us not.

The plan was to continue as before. Bowl out the opposition for a low score and then hammer them out of contention. This worked for Australia; however, unexpectedly this only occurred in two tests. In the other three, the bowlers, although taking wickets were unable to keep the run rate down and this allowed England to get the runs needed.  More importantly as afore mentioned, the English bowlers were able to ruthlessly lay siege to the Aussie batting line up and this led to the effectively ending of Shane Watson, Michael Clarke and Steve Rogers' Test careers.

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The moments that matter
The Ashes were not the greatest test of skill and talent. It was spectacular in its own way and the aggressive nature of both teams led to a thrilling but short series. 18 days of fast paced cricket. A series where batsmen were never really safe and where bowlers rarely were in full control. An expected war of attrition did not occur and it was in the sessions of bowling brilliance that England won the series. A lot of people will rightly mention the Root drop in Cardiff as the moment England wrestled back control. With the introduction of Trevor Bayliss, the positive mind-set was put into the England team and the doubts crept into the Australian side.

The home side were victorious and this series win will help them with their confidence going in to two tough tours in the winter. Captain Cook has shown courage and fight and with a few changes to the team, England can build a successful team.

Australia themselves are still a formidable team and I would not put it past them to go on a long winning streak again, especially with their bowling attack and number one test batsmen in Steve Smith.

Then again, after the summer we have had, I think we have learnt to expect the unexpected.


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Nurjenna restaurant review: Southgate

25/8/2015

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This was a curry club with a difference. Actually this wasn't a curry night, instead it was a date night with my better half. Off we went to Nurjenna in Southgate for a romantic curry. 
Assuming that you have read the interview with the owner of Nurjenna, please take a peek below at the review of the food.

Sometimes I think I know my audience well and what they want. Today I think that my mass audience do not want a wordy blog review, but instead a few pictures and some thoughts on the food.

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An assembled mix grill
Starters:
Sheekh kebab: a hearty portion of lamb, well seasoned and went perfectly into my naan as a roll.

Chicken Tikka: the star of the starters. Zingy, juicy and tender

Lamb Tikka: not as good as the chicken and a bit tougher.

With the naan and the condiments these were a good starter. To be honest the portion sizes were very generous and I could already feel a defeat coming up; especially with the fact we had ordered three main courses between two people.

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Lamb shank. Slow roasted
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Tandoori Fish
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Main course is served
Main courses

Lamb Shank: What a site it was. Completely covered in veg, cooked perfectly and just fell off the bone. Wanted more herbs and spices to give it an extra kick.


Fish Tandoori: Amazing - spiced delicately and the red colour made it looked perfect too. Flaked off and was so lovely. No butter, full of flavour- do order


Butter Chicken: probably the star of the main courses. Nutty flavours with the right amount of spice. Creamy and meaty at the same time- sounds like a good combo and it was.


We ordered this along with a portion of rice and naan too. 
This was definitely enough food for four people and we were happy to eat this the next day for lunch too. Both times we needed a rest and breather as we were so stuffed. Generous portions sizes and quality food, Nurjenna is a must for North Londoners. It is a different vibe to the usual Indian, and the ambience, staff and service will make you feel very welcome.


Thanks to everyone at Nurjenna. See you soon.
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Interview with Nurjenna Restaurant in Southgate: Who, What, When, Where and Why?

22/8/2015

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An old school friend of mine is luckily for me a restaurant owner. A curry house in Southgate, North London, Nurjenna is a ‘Contemporary Indian Restaurant’ catering to clients looking for a difference in taste to your typical Indian restaurant.

It really is good to keep in touch with people, be it via Facebook, Twitter or any other way. When i saw that my old school friend Abu Shohid had opened a restaurant i had to visit. I took my sweet time in visiting but nine months later i did.

Focused around spices, the menu offers some of the best aspects of the traditional Indian restaurant but also offers the speciality of Bangladeshi dishes. I am happy that Nurjenna is local to me as I have been wanting something nearby. I don't mind travelling for a good curry but one within close proximity is even better. Recently put forward by Local MP, David Burrowes for the Tiffin Cup, Nurjenna brings with it that class and quality needed for such a prestigious award.

So after my first visit last night, I had to do an interview. Thank you Abu.

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Click to add a blog post for Nurjenna on Zomato

1) Who is Nurjenna?
I have two daughters, a 6 year old and a 10 month old baby.
Nurjenna is my eldest daughter.  She is our ‘boss’, as she like to tells us all. My nephew and Nurjenna had the pleasure of cutting the ribbon and opening the restaurant last year, alongside David Burrows MP.

2) What makes Nurjenna different to other Indian restaurants?
All of the team here at Nurjenna have a real passion for what we do. We love our food. We love to create and experiment. We love to provide excellent service. And most of all we love to see happy customers! We think we have taken classic Indian food and tried to create our own take on things. Our menu is ever expanding with new dishes like our Lamb Shanks, Tandoori Nawab and our new range of Fish Dishes.



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3) When do you feel happiest in the restaurant?
I feel happiest when my team are able to ‘do their thing’ and really shine. We take pleasure in what we do and when we have the restaurant in the full swing of things we can do what we do best. The team will tell you, even when things get really busy, I'm always there with a smile on my face trying to motivate the guys.

4) Where do you see yourself and the restaurant in five years time?
Our vision is to continue to grow, doing what we do best in terms of the restaurant side of things, and maybe opening a few more over the next 5 years. We have a large restaurant here where we can hold parties for 100 people and we have had a very good response over the last few months.

We are also exploring expanding into outside catering. We can currently cater for large parties and events (up to 1000 people!) and there is a number of expansion plans we are exploring to take us to the next stages of growth.

5) Why did you decide to go into the restaurant business?
My family has always been in the restaurant business. I picked up all i know about the industry from my Dad and my Brother, and even today i still go to them now before i make any decision about the business. 

We had a family restaurant for 18 years in Potters Bar and then an opportunity came up for a year ago, so i opened a sister branch called Shaad (5 Princes Parade, High Street, Potters Bar, Herts, EN6 5AE), which is still there today. Now i run Shaad alongside Nurjenna which is 9 months old (opened just after my youngest was born) and the businesses complement each other.


And finally which restaurant besides your own is your favourite in London?
I have many favourite restaurants in London and i don’t think you have enough space here to put all of them down!

One thing for me though is i always love to support my local businesess. That’s why i would say my favourite restaurant beside my own is Green’s Steakhouse and Grill in Southgate. Bradley Green and the team there are really great, and i love the way they have done things to the place. I also like how i get a few lectures from Brad about how to make cocktails!

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P.S- a review will be coming out shortly. Quick summary- great food, quality service and two satisfied customers. We will definitely be going again.

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Along the canal - A Pub Crawl in London

19/8/2015

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So my brother has organised and taken part in an annual pub crawl for the last four years. For most years I have joined in at the beginning or during the end and they are always a messy affair. This time was a lot different but I still felt it the next morning.

This adventure was based along the London canal route and thankfully great British weather. We started off not too far from Regents Park and near Camden Lock at the York and Albany and ended at the Be at One Bar in Kings Cross. 
Below is a map of the route we took and it was a great day.

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16 different venues and drinks
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Start as you mean to go on
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Spread them
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Kings Cross
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Traditional pose
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And another one - what is that guy doing in the corner?
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Thumbs Up for a great day
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Time for a burger too
The idea of the Pub Crawl is not to drink lots and lots but to have fun with friends and enjoy life.
It was a great day and i hope more people join us next time. 


P.S- i'm not buying rounds
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