Lunch at the Best Falafel Place in Paris, L’As du Fallafel

L’As du Fallafel is one of the highest and well-reviewed food stands on TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Foursquare! The NY Times even wrote about this infamous place! Mikayla and I slept in today to catch up on much needed sleep so when we woke up, a good delicious lunch was in order!

You can either order out front or wait in a long line to sit inside the restaurant. We opted for the front since we didn’t want to pay extra for the service charge.

Ordering Your Food

So L’As du Falafel does not have a website with a menu on it, but they DO serve items other than falafel wraps. We wanted to try the real deal, so we both went for the falafel wrap anyway. The wraps cost around €5-€7 and was definitely worth the price! They completely stuff a pita bread with falafel, grilled eggplant, salads, and sauces. Delish!

They make these SO FAST. It’s incredible to watch them work.

Grilled eggplant (aubergines). Yum!

The Verdict?

My falafel wrap just BURSTING at the seams!

This was extremely messy to eat, but man it was delicious! I did not have a lot of falafel in the past, but it was very good! I really enjoyed eating at Maoz Falafel stand when I was in Amsterdam, but I think this mom & pop establishment beats a chain restaurant any day!

Traditional Dutch Dinner at Haesje Claes

Since we were not in Amsterdam long, I really wanted to try some traditional fare and many sites lead us to Haejse Claes.

Starter of dark wheat bread and butter

Hogenstaad with Sauerkraut. This dish comprises of sausage, meatball (the BEST), and bacon on a bed of mashed potatoes and sauerkraut and drizzled with gravy. Served with a side of pickles and pickled onions.

This dish was amazing! Northern European food typically consists of roasted meats with potatoes, which is always good with me! The meatball and gravy sauce were the best parts of the meal: very tender and savory. Although this is probably the most money I will ever spend on a meal on my entire European trip, it was my money well spent!

Annalisa got the same with carrots

Lunch at the Bazar Near Albert Cuyp Market

Right off the Albert Cuyp Market stalls, Annalisa and I decided to break for lunch. We were initially intending to eat at the market stalls, but nothing looked really good or was worth the price. Although we were in a highly touristy place, we decided might as well eat at a proper restaurant with real food.

Ordering food at a Mediterranean restaurant with a Dutch menu… oh boy…

Chicken Kebab Sandwich with a Side of Curry Mayo… and it was delicious!

Night Food Adventure in Amsterdam

With all of the people high on marijuana in this city, the street food is open all night long and serves a wonderful variety of unhealthy goodness! The smell was so intoxicating, we decided to stop at a few places to try some of food after passing through the Red Light District!

Frites at Manneken Pis

Yes, I know that frites are a Belgian thing, but these steak-cut fries are AMAZING!

For a few Euros, we bought a medium frites here. And yes, this stand is named after that famous statue in Brussels. I will be seeing that statue in a few days!

Frites are double fried, so in almost every frite stand, you can see a mound of pre-fried frites ready for the cooker.

Frites with spicy mayo… the most delicious street food ever!

Falafel at Maoz

After our “little” snack, we wandered for some real food at Maoz, a fast food falafel chain in Amsterdam. They serve falafel in pita bread and give you unlimited toppings and sauces to go with it… double YUM!

Heaven in a pita pocket!

Unlimited salad bar… delish!

And We Finish Off Our First Night With a Pint!

 

Street Feast at the Hawker House in London

I am continuously amazed with Ashley’s food savvy since today, she took Annalisa and I to another great eating experience at the Hawker House near Bethnal Green tube station. Food makes a great Galentine’s Day treat!

Inspired by the hawker centres of Singapore, Hawker House takes our growing night market culture inside for the winter, all covered, warm and dry, with ten food traders, four bars and a DJ to keep you entertained.”

– Hawker House site

Located in an unassuming warehouse near, truthfully, a slightly sketch area of London, the Hawker House is a temporary hub of gourmet street vendors gathered together to share food, art, and entertainment. The market only exists a few weekends out of the season, so it is best to go now before they disappear! One of my favorite bloggers, The Londoner, went here a few months ago and raved about the night market! Every weekend hosts a series of different vendors and the more popular stalls are now an integral part of the establishment.

Yum Bun

Yum Bun is opening up their revamped flagship store in London in the next few months! In the meantime, they sell their handmade steamed buns exclusively at Hawker House and are one of the best-selling stalls in the place! They have a short menu (and many accolades) , yet their pork steam bun is the clear favorite!

Ashley and I each ordered a small steamed bun for £3.50 each. The steamed buns had the perfect combination of braised fatty pork, thin cucumbers, finely sliced green onions, and hoisin sauce to create a scrumptious snack! It is by far my favorite stall of the day!

Miss P’s Barbeque

Black Angus Beef Brisket

Pulled Pork

We ordered the brisket sandwich with coleslaw and original BBQ sauce. The spice on the brisket creates a great crunch when digging into the sandwich! Tastes just like ‘Murica!

Rola Wala Indian Street Food Cuisine

Ordered the Organic Pulled Pork naan rolls served with mint onion pickle, carrot, cumin, coconut, beetroot salad, coriander, and chutney. Also ordered the Channa Dal naan roll (not pictured) with paneer and the same as the above.

You Doughnut

This is a MUST when visiting Hawker House! You Doughnut makes every order fresh! Plus, the give you the choice of a sugar (vanilla or cinnamon), sauce (warm salted caramel or white chocolate cardamom & vanilla), and any toppings (marshmallows, sprinkles, marshmallows, and/or walnuts) to the piping hot doughnuts!

We ordered doughnuts with cinnamon sugar, warm salted caramel, pecans, and mini marshmallows. The doughnuts were so hot, the marshmallow melted creating a warm, gooey delicious mess! It was one of the best things I ate at the market!

In honor of Valentine’s Day, the doughnuts are heart-shaped!

The Hawker House

5PM – Midnight

Every Friday and Saturday until 21/22 March

Free before 7, £3 after

ENJOY

My New Favorite Guilty Pleasure: Take-Away at The Grill Kebabs near King’s Cross

Some of you may know by now that the way I save money in London is by cooking in bulk once a week, which means I don’t get a lot food variety. Understandably, after 3 consecutive weeks eating pasta, I began to hunt for cheap and good places under £5. My favorite take-out I found so far is The Grill Kebabs near King’s Cross Station, a small Lebanese establishment.

Chicken (left) and lamb (right) shawarma spits.

They also serve other Lebanese dishes. I think I’ll stick with the shawarma

The Grill Kebabs is just right down the street from where I live and I love that on my way back from a long day at school, I can grab a quick chicken or lamb shawarma meal for £4.90 (almost comparable to what McDonalds costs here, but much better food)! The food is so good, I crave it these days.

Grilled lamb shawarma with salad (lettuce, tomatoes, and onions), garlic mayo, hot sauce, all wrapped in pita. Served with a side of thick chips (fries).

Chips slathered with sauces! Mayo is pretty big here in London and it’s surprisingly good with chips!

I’ve been here twice this week (so guilty) but the food is so good! Embarrassingly, the guy recognizes me now and gives me a little extra of everything when I stop by! Loyalty is always rewarded at mom-and-pop shops!

Garlic Broccoli Pasta with Onion Glazed Chicken

Dinner on a Budget

Broccoli and chicken drumsticks were on sale again!

I did not have a plan before cooking this meal, so I am quite proud of the results! Yay for improvisation!

Trying Street Food in Chinatown for Chinese New Year

After eating at Dumplings’ Legend, we took a little walk around Chinatown to look at all of the festivities for Chinese New Year. Annalisa and I were just here last night and it seemed that Sunday was the main day for celebrating! Performers and food stands were at every street corner and when we passed by this one, we couldn’t resist their wonderful treats! Around the New Year, there are just some things you can’t miss trying!

Chinese donut batons, perfect for dipping into stews and porridges.

My absolute favorite Chinese snack/dessert. It’s a mochi ball filled with smooth and sweet red bean paste. The mochi is then rolled in toasted sesame seeds and quickly deep fried for a crunchy exterior.

It was still warm when I bought it!

For £1.50 per item at the stand, it was a really good deal, especially since the pastries tasted so good! Ashley, Annalisa, and I kept going back to see if there was anything else that we wanted to try!

I was thoroughly impressed how open the Londoners were when trying these unique treats. To me, things like red bean paste and mochi are definitely acquired tastes, but I saw so many children munching on them like it was no big deal! Love London!

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

Dinner at Cote Brasserie on Charlotte Street

After an exhausting day visiting famous Sherlock sites, a few of us decided to grab dinner at Cote Brasserie, a lovely French restaurant.

Dinner: Steak with garlic butter and frites

For less than 10 pounds, this was one of the best meals I had in the area! Not only was it “affordable,” the steak was thin, tender, and perfect! The server was also so sweet and allowed us to use the restaurant’s wifi. She even let us stay at our table for two hours, allowing us to contact our respective friends and families. Contrary to popular belief, so far, the British has excellent service!