Yabba Caribbean Food

After sampling various pickles and jams that yabba make and sell at festivals and other markets and enjoying them I decide to check out there newish cafe to see what its like.

The decor is really cute, bright colours everywhere and paintings of Jamaican people and festivals and sunsets. Theres the jams and pickles and chilli sauces for you to sample and add to your food and a tasty looking menu.

I go for ackee and saltfish in a tortilla wrap, its ok theres some good chunks of ackee but the overall texture is a bit too sloppy,I wouldn't have preferred it drier and I don't see any fish at all although I can taste it.

My mum goes for creole chicken with rice and peas and callaloo and cabbage, her chicken tastes delicious and I steal lots of it, its really well cooked and very moist.

I have a cup of milo which is sort of like hot chocolate but with vitamins and is Jamaica's national drink the friendly waitress tells me.

We leave very stuffed and the food is ok, not as good as the Caribbean food that I had at the earl though, I'm going to have a try and creating my own ackee and salt fish with rice and peas and if I'm successful I'll let you know!

Jabu Fondue and Dumpling House

Last night I went to Jabu in Sheffield and it was awesome, a totally different eating experience!

I arrived and the waitress asked me to choose from some dumplings to start, I chose lamb and coriander and they were delicious, I had it with a little bit too much of the chilli sauce and it was so spicy! After a few sips of my san miguel I was able to eat the rest of them. They are beautifully tender with good quality lamb and loads of juices which dribbled over my chin and down my chopsticks onto my fingers, I got very dirty hands here which is great if you don't mind getting stuck in.

Next we got given a little menu and ticked off the food that we wanted.
There was loads of different meats, seafood and vegetables and those were served with a huge bowl of your chosen stock. We chose satay and then chinese herbs, the bowl was split into two sections and placed on an induction hob and bubbled away ready for you to place your ingredients into.

We got some crispy pig skin as a side nibble (not to dip in the stock!), thinly sliced beef shin, whole crab, chinese lettuce, corn, beansprouts, wontons and noodles.
It was all very tasty and I loved the pig skin and the beef was very tender.
The crab was a bit of a challenge, and I struggled to crack into the claws for the tasty white meat, shell flying all over, much to the amusement of the chinese couple sat opposite me!

After stuffing our faces and making a total mess of the table and our faces and fingers we couldn't eat anymore. The place was great and I'd definitely come back. The only bad thing about it were the toilets which were the worst I've ever seen!

Oh and I got a new camera for christmas so all the photos are much better quality now, click for bigger pictures if you want.

Thyme Restaurant, Broomhill, Sheffield.

This lunchtime I decided to try out this restaurant as I've been wanting to go in for so long but never had the opportunity.
I get there at half one and its nearly full, there is blackboards on the walls with the different food items available and it all looks delicious.
Its mostly British with a bit of Italian such as bruschetta and risotto.
Me and my mum sit down and order some hot drinks as its bloody freezing outside! Hot chocolate and a cappuccino, our favourites.

I'm deciding what to choose whilst nibbling a few delicious mixed olives, they're tangy and with a kick of chilli and a few slivers of roasted peppers and thyme.
There is so many choices, from chicken and mushroom pie with mustard mash to shell on king prawns with dips, the most expensive item is 28 day matured rump steak which is £18.

I decide on szechuan confit duck leg with roast sweet potato and pak choi.
It arrives after about 10 minutes and looks beautiful on the plate, such clean presentation and its cooked to perfection, crispy golden skin with just the right amount of fat with hints of spice and honey, meltingly soft flesh which requires no knife.
The sweet potato adds a welcome contrast to the rich meat and the crunch of the pak choi adds some texture too. Theres slivers of carrot which add colour, all adding up to a very delicious dish, very good for £12.

I finish my meal with a slice of tiffin, £2, its packed full of exotic fruits and nuts, crunchy biscuits and a thick rich chocolate layer on top. An excellent finish to a wonderful meal. This won't be my last visit!

My chocolate orange cake, a step by step recipe

Hiya everyone, I hope you enjoy cooking and eating my recipe as much as I did.
If you do then if you could let me know then that would be awesome!
This would make a great alternative to christmas pudding if like me and many others that really isn't your thing!


Ingredients

* 250g butter
* 200g plain flour
* 250g caster Sugar
* 4 eggs
* 2 level teaspoons baking powder
* 50g cocoa powder
* 3 unwaxed oranges
* 200g plain chocolate
* 230g double cream



Method

Ganache topping

1. Heat cream but do not boil.
2. Break up chocolate and pour the cream over, leave for a few minutes
3. Stir, if all chocolate is not melted then place over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave for a few seconds at a time until there are no lumps left.
4. Place in the fridge for up to 1 1/2 hours until its thickened.




Cake

1. Weigh out all your ingredients.
2. Melt your butter for a few seconds in the microwave until its a little bit softer but not melted.
3. Add your sugar and mix together
4. Add your flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and mix well.
5. Add your eggs, one by one. Mix well
6. Pour into your cake tin and place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees.
7. After 20 minutes, check it because different ovens vary and I know because my cake ended up taking twice as long as normal to cook! Stick a knife in and if it comes out clean then its ready. Leave to cool





Orange drizzle and sweet zest

1. Zest or grate your oranges
2. Juice them using a fork or however you wish
3. Place the juice in a pan with 100g of caster sugar, boil til sugar is dissolved.
4. Place the orange zest in some water and bring to the boil, drain and repeat.
5. Add a small amount of water and some sugar, heat until the sugar has dissolved and the water has gone, set aside.




You do not have to do this step, you can use orange juice from a carton instead of juicing your own and buy candied peel from a store, but fresh is always best!

Now the fun part! Icing the cake!

1. Take out your ganache icing and spread over your cake.
2. Sprinkle over your sweet zest. Done!





Sorry about the blurry photo.
Thanks for reading and remember to let me know what you think.
Ps. I found some silver balls from last christmas and added them to my cake! What do you think?

Manchester Christmas Markets

So today I got up bright and early and headed to the train station to get on the 10:10am train to manchester. There's awesome christmas markets happening and I just had to go check it out due to the total dissapointment of the one we currently have in sheffield, I mean theres like 6 stalls and they're all german so not much vartiation going on there either.
So yeah I get into manchester and luckily I already know my way around having practically lived there a few years back, I find the markets and they are amazing!
Well worth the £15.70 train fare.

Theres jewellery stalls, hats, pickles, candy, cheese, meat, mulled wine, spanish, french, german and british cuisine and the smells are just wonderful. I take a look around first, taking a few photos here and there and eventually the aromas are too tempting and I decide on paella for lunch. Theres chicken, squid, mussels and prawn and its delicious and very filling, I leave half and head to another stall and buy a slice of french flan, its sweet and custardy and hits the spot.

This stall also has loads of tasty and smelly cheese, I buy 5 different varieties including blue, goat and vacherin aswell which I have been meaning to try for a while. I look around the others and buy some salami (7 pieces) some jewellery and some very moreish sugared cashew nuts.

Theres beautiful christmas decorations, carol singers, free tasters and merry people sipping at their hot mulled wine. Anyone who complains about hating christmas would change their mind in an instant after visiting this place and its got
me feeling very jolly and festive indeed.

After looking around all the stalls I go to h&m, primark, topshop and buy various clothes including 3 pairs of thick wooly tights (black, grey and cream) 2 jerseys, some jeggings and a beautiful floral scarf, oh and I also went to the amazing hotel chocolat, they have the best chocolate I have ever tasted, very very good.

When my massive bagpack got too full I decide its time to head home.