Life of Shayan

Franco Manca Pizza Review.

29/9/2014

Extra Extra, read all about it. Shayan ate a Pizza. I've tried a Pizza from Franco Manca before but this was the first time I sat in the restaurant; therefore here is my review.

The menu is very simple and basic and this means you won't be wasting too much time reading or trying to decide what you want. Starters are not on; unless you wanted a tomato, garlic and basil pizza as your version of a garlic bread. The rest is Pizza, some side salads and then drinks.

Therefore we went for a mixed leaf salad with a pizza each. I ordered the Ham and Mushroom Pizza and Laura went for the Meat Special which had dry cured beef with rocket and Parmigianino.

Mixed lead salad with Alfa sprouts

"Fresh, tasty and just like how the Italians do it". These were the words from my fiancé and who am I to argue. The Pizzas were both tasty and I have to admit I preferred Laura's choice. I was warned about the lack of tomato on the ham and mushroom pizza (below) and this gave it the sense of being a bit dry. Strangely enough I also wanted a bit more seasoning on the pizza dough too.

The toppings on both pizzas were lovely and rich and the cured process for both meats gave it a lasting flavour. The side salad from above helped and complimented the rich pizza and although we weren't overly hungry vanished into our mouths at an alarming pace.

The quality of Pizza here is definitely a step above your other pizza chains of the express type and the price is accommodating too.

Ham and Mushroom Pizza at a good price

One Liner: Good Pizza which is "Fresh, tasty and just like how the Italians do it".
Address: Various London locations- Brixton, Chiswick, Tottenham Court Road etc
Website: http://www.francomanca.co.uk/

2 Comments

This is for the runners. Well done

25/9/2014

1 Comment

This blog is not sponsored by a well known sports company. This blog piece is to show my appreciation for the increase in runners on the roads of London and well done to you all. On my run home today I saw 12 others. What they are running from or to, I have no idea, but it was great to see. Added to this about 60-80 cyclists then London is trying to get healthier. It is a wonder that the tube and buses are still so busy but what can you do?

Thankfully I don't think this is just a faze either. The number of cyclists is increasing as are the runners, I hope the winter doesn't ruin us all.
Why the increase? I think it is obvious, we are getting more and more health conscious and looking for cheaper and easier ways to do this. Joining a gym is great but at £40-£60 a month is too much. Another reason is the cost of public transport; it keeps on rising and there is not much we can do about it. BOYCOTT? No chance.

I have started using a running app to track my run; from the route, distance and times per mile. This addition helps because by nature man loves to compare. I compare against myself and also against others; it is not always a competition but comparisons can help for motivation too. With social media too and the ability to tell others about your achievements or failures it builds up a community. 10k runs, marathons and Race 4 Life are all seeing more and more people. it is great to help others and ourselves at the same time.

This is for the runners and let's make sure we support them.

1 Comment

What I ate this week: from littlehampton back to London

21/9/2014

2 Comments

Cheeky burger stall in central london

I covered all the bases this week and it has been a while since I did a food review. Curry, Burger, Thai and Pizza. What more could i ask for, 4 new places in the last seven days and more reviews for you.

Here we go with pictures of a few below.

Papa Del's in Highgate: Pizza in a small and cozy restaurant. The venue offers itself to share large benches with strangers in a relaxed atmosphere. The staff squeeze you in but let you be and a quick meal on a friday night ended up being a nice three hour catch up. We had a garlic pizza bread to share and a pizza each. Neither were amazing but they were nice enough.

Masala Lounge in East Preston: Indian food down south. It is always great to get out of London every so often and see the in-laws. So we fancied Indian and came to Masala Lounge. We weren't too hungry and ordered Mixed grill, Lamb karahi and Bunah Chicken. All three dishes surpassed my expectations and had a fresh taste to it. The extra cardamon and cumin in the rice helped bring the dishes together. One issue i have was the mixed grill, which tasted all the same, regardless of it being tandoori chicken, chicken tikka or lamb tikka. I think this is a bit lazy from the chef, when giving the same marinade to all the elements of a mixed grill.

Nahkon Thaii in London: Thai food by the Royal Docks. After an evening of moving sofas i was hungry. My brother had been before and advised we go and we did. As hungry as we were, we went for the usual classics. Tom Yum Goong to start and then a sharing medley of green curry, duck and beef. All were very tasty. One of the main tests for the soup is if it is spicy yet still tasty. This had the two vital components and a bit extra lemon juice in there. The rest of the dishes were nice and i would be happy to return. good service from the staff but you would expect that with the expensive city prces by the docks.

Cheeky Burger in London: ummmm Burger. I was informed by a colleague of a new burger stall, so off i went. So i went in for the Cheeky Bacon, which instead of streaks of bacon, i was given bacon jam. This added a new element and with hindsight i probably would have got the streaky bacon instead. It was a good burger, good meat and the soft bun kept it all together. Sometimes i feel that the salad is too over powering and tasting too much tomato can be an issue. A juicy burger all the same and i will definitely try it again.

A lot of words for you in a busy week.
How many people

The thai trio for three.

2 Comments

I have a twin! Just in case you didn't know

17/9/2014

4 Comments

They look similar

This is a reason to blog. After all it is called 'Life of Shayan'. I had a haircut, got a problem with that.

Guess who is Shayan and who is Sherwin.

4 Comments

Weekly Interview: Who, What, When, Where and Why? With Hussain Manawer

14/9/2014

3 Comments

Introducing the new weekly feature. Who, what, when, where and why interviews with special guests and celebrities. We will keep this brief and only ask a few questions.

This week, first and foremost is my friend's cousin and comedian, philanthropist and actor Hussain Manawer.

Hussains House star: Hussain Manawer

About. Hussain Manawer born 1991 is an English personality, comedian, actor . Based in London England Hussain is the face of online brand “Hussain’s House”. In 2012 Hussain was selected to be an Olympic Torchbearer due to his huge efforts for charity. He also made cameo appearances as himself in British Soap Eastenders (2012), and comedy show BBC Three’s Sweat The Small Stuff (2013).

1. Who is your inspiration?
Inspiration, I cant say there's one person that inspires me there have been a lot that have inspired me along my journey. But i am more inspired by positive things that happen around me, and i am lucky enough to witness such as charity, good deeds and helping out others. That inspires me to do what i do, with regards to a person I'd say Will Smith, I love how he has always been himself on
/ off screen and that's something i aspire to do.

2. What has been your proudest moment?
Proudest moment, ah that's a hard one I have a top 3, first one is climbing mount Kilimanjaro, something I never thought would be possible, secondly running with the Olympic torch, and thirdly being cast to make an appearance in east enders as myself with billy Mitchell which was a big moment for me and all those around me.

3. When did you know that this is what you wanted to do?
Around a year ago, I met Kevin Hart and things changed (without sounding cringe) I was at work and was called to interview him and took a day off to do it, I loved it so much and never wanted to go back! Nobody knows this but I actually did the interview on behalf of a third party who didn't want the footage in the end. So I kept it and uploaded it on my channel, the maddest thing is it was the second video I uploaded and for it to be with a legend like him, I was over the moon.

4. Where do you see HussainsHouse in five years time?
Hopefully on TV 5 nights a week on a national channel either in the UK or US.

5. Why your House?
Because I've always had so much fun at home, with my siblings, parents friends that come over the vibe is just always there! I just wanted to share this with the world

and finally...
6: Which interview do you wish you could do again?
Everyone thinks I would say Kevin hart, because he is the biggest, but for me the moment that really stole my heart was when I met a US radio personality called 'Charlamagne' who is known for being notoriously rude and blunt and famous for arguments on air with drake and Kanye when I walked into the room he looked at me and said 'omg I'm a fan, thank you for coming Hussain' and that was mental I watch a lot of his shows if not everyone and for him to acknowledge me and show me that respect was unreal, and because of that I could have got more real-ness out of him in in the interview but I played it safe. So if it was any interview I could do it again, it would be him!

Thank you very much Hussain. Always good to hear from people who inspire and aim for good things.
Any recommendations on who i should interview next week? Please do let me know.

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Franco Manca Pizza Review.

One Liner: Good Pizza which is "Fresh, tasty and just like how the Italians do it".Address: Various London locations- Brixton, Chiswick, Tottenham Court Road etcWebsite: http://www.francomanca.co.uk/

This is for the runners. Well done

What I ate this week: from littlehampton back to London

I have a twin! Just in case you didn't know

Weekly Interview: Who, What, When, Where and Why? With Hussain Manawer

Arc﻿hives

One Liner: Good Pizza which is "Fresh, tasty and just like how the Italians do it".
Address: Various London locations- Brixton, Chiswick, Tottenham Court Road etc
Website: http://www.francomanca.co.uk/

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