Dearest Mr Jason Atherton,

I am writing with regards to your restaurant on Pollen Street, Pollen Street Social.
I visited the restaurant this week for my fiances birthday this week and we had an amazing dinner.

The staff were informative and attentive and with great food, we were very happy.
The quail for starters and lamb for main were two highlights.

I look forward to visiting more of your restaurants in the future.

Yours sincerely,
​Life of Shayan

Is a letter a good way to write a blog?

This visit for Lauras' birthday was a lovely treat for her and a bit of a present for me too. Mainly a present for me, except I felt this on my wallet. I have been to Social Eating House and to Berners Tavern, both restaurants by Jason Atherton and i was very happy I now had booked for Pollen Street Social.

The standards were set high by my visits to the other restaurants and therefore I was excited. We got there on time and were seated at the bar. I was driving so a cocktail at the beginning would be enough. I am a big fan of Rum and was given a great cocktail with a smooth taste and citrus delight similar to a mojito.

I go usually for the starter description, main courses and then dessert. Sounds obvious and also sounds very structured. How about i tell you about all the food in any order I remember and stood out.

I have to say that the service started out a bit slowly but once I made a tiny fuss about our water taking ages to come over, they were on point and amazing. Great knowledge of the food and attention too. Knowing how to handle each dish, directing us how to eat the dishes and pouring over any sauces or consomme.

This came into great effect for Laura's Pine Smoked Quail 'English Breakfast'. Eggs, Beans, Mushrooms and the amazing Quail. The Quail came delivered in a pine box and the smoke was clear once this was opened and the aromas and taste were just as strong. This was an amazing start and that is another reason why I love Laura- we can share our dishes.

The lamb loin for Cornwall was just as amazing. The dishes and emphasis from Pollen Street Social is on British ingredients and good relationships from their suppliers. The quality of food goes a long way to make preparation important and more so a good dish. Here Lamb Loin was served alongside braised neck, Sausages and roasted artichoke. The different ways the meat was cooked added to such an adventure and the richness of the flavours meant I was slightly jealous that i did not order it.

The two dishes I had were really tasty but were not as memorable as the Lamb and Quail Laura had. My chicken thigh and slow cooked egg were lovely, but it seemed to go in a few moments. The salmon filled me up a lot more and with the Bouillabaisse (french fish stew) the depth of flavour on the fish was intensified. The mussel tempura was devoured all too quickly whereas the celery was there in abundance (ahh well). The sea bass  flaked away and the crisp skin added some crunch and extra flavour.

After all the great food and some lovely wine too, we had no space for dessert. However, luckily for us the delights of a Michelin starred restaurant is the few extras you get. As starter (first picture), we were given a few snacks with salmon, atrichoke mousse and some caviar. WOW. For the desserts, this meant we were given a bakewell tart (as above), with a chocolate mousse and some Turkish delight. Treats like this make me seem like a better boyfriend, this is literally the icing on the cake which adds to unforgettable nights and experiences.

The price point can be a bit much, but for a birthday and an amazing night I will not be bitter or upset about it. Ticked off the bucket list and a great way to end 2015.
I cannot wait for the new adventures in 2016- see you all on the other side.

After the Christmas feast and the indulgence we have all loved and enjoyed with friends and family, I thought it would be best to interview my amazing cousin Jami Zamyad.

As a registered dietitian and foodie too, based in sunny Los Angeles, California my cousin is here to share ideas and help us with information on the importance of eating correctly and what best to do.
I've long held the belief in eating right and also enjoying your food. Food is not just there to survive but to cherish and can provide so many benefits. Let us let the expert take over and find out more about my beautiful cousin and how she can help.

Bio: Jami Zamyad is a registered dietitian and the clinical nutrition manager at Saint  Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, California. Jami holds a masters degree in nutrition science from California State University Northridge. She holds certifications in leadership, management and education. Her experience is multi faceted and expands over 15 years in food science and research, writing, private consulting and teaching. Her clinical goals focus on expanding the role of dietitians in the interdisciplinary care process and improving timely patient care. She has developed several administrative and departmental policies for nutrition support at Saint Francis Medical Center which have been adapted by sister hospitals. She is currently seeking a doctorate in clinical nutrition. Jami is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Her collective purpose is to provide optimal care and guidance with a common goal to educate, empower and enrich individual’s health and nutrition status.

Who is Jami the Nutritionist? 
She is a person who is fascinated by ingredients and its effects on human health.

What brings you the most pleasure at your job?
I love to teach clients, patients and students how simple it is to take care of themselves without the exaggeration of crazy fad diets, medication and supplements. The ability to educate and empower individuals lead healthier lives is most gratifying.

When did you decide to go into food and nutrition as a profession? 
I grew up in a healthy home. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains plus fresh herbs, spices, nuts and seeds were prominent ingredients in our daily intake.
We rarely ate out or had any junk (processed or packaged) food around the house. My mom prepared most of our meals and she did an absolutely amazing job! To this day the way she prepares and presents her meals is artistic and full of love. 
I believe that food is one of the best pleasures in life and one I have pursued with devotion.
This pursuit took on a different perspective when I became a mum. I began reading more on the quality of ingredients, content of nutrients and its effect on the well being of my children. I had lots of Questions:
What to feed them to keep them healthy and thriving?
How about when they get sick? 
Healthy skin and hair?
Strong bones to grow tall? Keep them regular? make them sleep well???  and on and on.

Finding information was not difficult but deciphering the information between accurate and quackery was an immense task but I wanted to learn.
The turning point to study nutrition came during a conversation I had with my sister about going back to college for my masters and so the journey began.

Where is the best place to go for food in Los Angeles?
From the desert to the sea (haha, a local news caster used to say that) Los Angeles is the mecca of amazing eateries.
If you know what type of food you crave you can find it pretty much anywhere in LA.
​
Why do so many people fail in their food diets?
Diet by definition means everything you eat and drink on a daily basis. It's a lifestyle and not a temporary project you take on because of an event in your life.
The farther this "diet" is from who you are and who you are willing to be, the higher the chance it will fail. 
A person who seeks to change their diet for specific or overall health reasons needs to make subtle and slow changes. There are no quick fixes! If it sounds to good to be true, it is!

Consider this: 1 lb of fat=3500 calories so in order to lose a pound of fat a week, you need to decrease your intake of energy dense foods and increase your intake of nutrient dense foods plus activity to reduce/burn a total of 500 calories daily for 7 days. Its that simple! 
Extreme calorie reduction/starvation diets especially over weeks or months plummet the metabolism. Your cells learn quickly and slow the basal metabolic rate (the energy your body requires at rest) to accommodate the reduced available energy. This leaves you with less food to eat and your body with less nutrients to maintain minimum cell function. A poor functioning cell makes for a poor functioning tissue, organ and so on.
Now imagine adding a multitude of diet pills, supplements, powders, drinks, etc. to this equation of poor functioning cells? ​

Some great advice here and an amazing interview. This is not only useful information for after Christmas, but for all year round. It sounds obvious at times and I think it is. Eat Well and Live Well. Enjoy the journey friends and thank you my wonderful cousin Jami for this interview. 

Merry Christmas All.
I hope you all enjoyed your festive fun and stuffed your faces with whatever you had, be it Goose, Turkey, Duck, Lamb, Beef, Ham or even Nut Roast.

One issue has to be what to do with the leftovers- It is going to happen and why waste all the good food.

IDEA 1:
So the first idea is from my first Christmas Sandwich this year. I had one from Pret and it was good.
Turkey, Stuffing, Cranberry sauce, mayo and Spinach. 
I have never been a big fan of cranberry sauce but this worked really well with the mayo and the rest of the ingredients

So the idea is to get whatever left over meat you have, let's say Turkey. With this, stuffing works really well and try to make sure that the Stuffing has the crunchiness and crispness to it. This bite works well with the hopefully soft Turkey and the sauces together. At Pret, they add the Crispy Onions, i think this is a wicked onion, but what about if you had crispy yorkshire pudding?  And then in a Focaccia!!!
BEST SANDWICH EVER.

With new student accommodation and a new set of apartments and flats for sale in two years, Finsbury Park is up and coming. With great transport into London, more and more food places and coming to the area. These include Lulu's Caribbean, Street N4, Fabrica, Max's Sandwich Shop and now Wing Zone UK.

So what do they do; well simple as, Chicken Wings.
Chicken Wings boneless or with bones as well as tender pieces (breaded chicken), burgers (chicken and beef) and sides and appetizers. So mainly wings and many other added extras too. This is a welcome addition to the area and its convenience the other night was ideal. After a gym session Laura and I craved wings and we got twenty wings for £15.00. A good price and we tucked into it all so quickly.

After ordering 20 we were sure that it was too many and that we may have enough for lunch the next day. not a chance, the wings were tasty, tangy and moor-ish that we finished it all off in about ten minutes.

The wings can come with a variety of sauces that take your fancy. Each come with its own level of spice (think Nando's spice levels, but with more variation). For this visit i went for the classic buffalo sauce and Laura chose the Honey Q. You can see their 'Flavour-Zone' here: http://www.wingzone.co.uk/flavor-zone/

I was happy with my wings, it took a while to get ready, so order in advance but once at home and ready to eat, the chicken went away very quickly. It may not be the healthiest option but it is a good one. Welcome to the hood Wing Zone UK- see you soon.

Points of Note:

• use the #10in10burgers
  
• 10 Burgers
• 10 hours
• January 16 2016
• Starts at Midday
• Will visit 10 different Burger Joints
• Does not include McDonalds or Burger King
• Do not need to have any sides (Fries or Onion rings)