Dishes I dream about at night
I love food, and there is always too much food for me to have time to eat it all. But there is a few dishes at a few places that I keep coming back to, that I dream about at night, that I spend months planning going to just because that dish is amazing. This is my (non-exhaustive) list of those dishes
Saying you know the best pizza place is always controversial, and everyone has their own favourite and preference. But this one is difficult to contest. The restaurant is in the middle of nowhere in southern Sweden, and everything is locally sourced and the meat is hand-cured on the premise (you should definitely get the charcuterie plate while you are there). Sourdough, woodfired pizzas composed by Victor (one half of the husband and wife team running the restaurant) are insanely good and varies a bit by season. Pictured os the blue cheese, pear, kale and sriracha pizza, a must eat.
Char Kway Teow
Roti King
40 Doric Way, Somers Town, London NW1 1LH
Fried noodles are always good, but these are something extra. I always mix in the extra chili for an extra kick and there are both prawn and chicken in the mix, and mixed protein makes southeast asian better for some unknown reason. Just writing this text while looking at the picture makes me immediately want to go and have them.
Som Tam
Pretty much anywhere in Thailand
This is the combo that on paper doesn’t makes sense. Unripe papaya, dried shrimp, fish sauce, chili, tomatoes, beans and sugar doesn’t exactly make your mouth water, but this is good. It’s better than good to be honest. Really fresh and spicy, and honestly quite difficult to screw up since it is a salad. So almost any decent Thai restaurant are able to make it
Black Pepper, Cheese and Beef Dumplings
I can’t count how many times I have eaten here and it’s a must for everytime I’m in Beijing. Might even do two visits if I’m in town for longer than three days. It’s a Chinese restaurant that mainly caters to foreigners, so not everything is completely authentic, but it is tasty, and the black pepper, cheese and beef dumplings are the thing I HAVE to get everytime. The cheese is the perfect fusion marriage and add a certain juiciness to the fried dumplings, made by a group of lovely dumpling ladies. Every time I am there I keep thinking how I can adopt one so I can have this back home. And while you are there order double (one is never enough) of the spicy green beans
Maybe it is because this was my first introduction to Texas Barbecue, or because the lady at the register was one of the friendliest people ever - and got very excited when she heard how far we came for their BBQ, but there is something special about the smoked brisket that just falls apart, paired with the gravy that is glorious even on its own. The meat-coma is inevitable, just make room for the jalapeno sausage as well.
Corn on the Cob with Sriracha & Manchego
Supper
Humlegårdsgatan 17, 114 46 Stockholm, Sweden
If you think that corn on the cob can’t be the highlight of a meal… you are wrong. These bastards are next level, I think that I could actually go on a flight just to eat them. Sweeteness of the corn, saltiness of the cheese, spicy and creamy from the sriracha mayo. Definitely one I will try to recreate at home
I love shellfish, and I am always looking forward to eating it, and the best and prettiest way is on an ice plateau. There are of course several locations around the world that does great seafood plateaus, but I am especially fond of the wright brothers mermaid bar in Kensington. (Always sit downstairs in the mermaid bar, never street level) Wright brothers have several locations around London and work directly with British fisherman to guarantee fresh high quality seafood.
Dakgalbi with Cheese (Korean spicy stir fry chicken)
Yoogane
Several locations in Seoul
Rice, chicken and cheese doesn’t sound that exciting, but this dish is magic. It seems so easy but it tastes so good! I randomly walked into this restaurant and haven’t found the same magic dish anywhere else, almost like a Korean style paella! You also get to wear a sexy bib, making the whole experience even better
Mash
This is a generic one, but there is something about mashed up potatoes, preferably with an unreasonable amount of butter in it, and even better with cheese or roasted garlic. While mash is pretty much always good, the best one I have ever had is the roasted garlic mash at Zelman meats in London. It is now removed from the menu, but if you go ask for the mash in hopes that it will one day make it’s glorious return
I am pretty sure the secret ingredient in American lobster is crack. I don’t know why they are so much better than their European counterpart, and when it is stuffed in a soft brioche roll and drenched in butter it doesn’t get any better.
The whole of San Sebastian is full of pintxos and one of the greatest thing about being there is just bar hopping between them for small glasses of wine and nibbles, my personal favourite is Casa Vergara. Not only do they serve very fresh pintxos (don’t miss the fresh order menu) but the inside of the bar is in great art deco style. And its been around since 1948, so I can’t be the only one enjoying this place And who doesn’t love seafood and meat on small pieces of bread?