LUNYA : SPANISH CUISINE (UK)

Spanish Cuisine isn't something I know very much about. I've only had it once in my life and this would be the second time trying spanish cuisine. I know about the cheeses, the cured meats and paella. I definitely have tried paella before. Anyway, we decided to head down to a renown famous restaurant by the name of Lunya. It is in a popular district for good food and great atmosphere.

The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated. They have many sculptures on sale there inside the restaurant. There is a bar at the bottom which has spanish ham hanging from the ceiling. We were seated upstairs near the window which has a very nice view. 

The place was already crowded and filled with noise and chatter. 

We decided to order jointly. All of us wanted to try the paella. I know typical, but we didn't know what else to eat. But the paella here in Lunya is well known, so we figured why not. We also had a platter of goat's cheese, with grapes and very thin crackers. We also had several cured meats. Different slices of pork, chorizo being one of them. We then were finally served paella which takes at least forty five minutes to cook. 

The cheese was absolutely delicious. Monte Enebro, which is made out of goat's milk and have won some awards. It had the usual sour taste from the goat's milk and was creamy. It paired well with crackers of which I had for the first time ever and grapes. 

The meat platter was delicious with several slices of different cured meats. It had the oily and nutty taste to it. The slices were thin as it was overpowering if eaten in large quantities since when cured, the flavour is concentrated like how dried fruits are especially sweet. 

Finally we had the paella, which is something almost like a risotto. It is rice cooked with some moisture still retained, like congee but with less watery substance and less thick. It is mixed with many different spices and ingredients like seafood or chorizo. It has this orange near red colour. The paella was really good, rice cooked well and not crunchy, as this is the mistake often made with paella and risotto. 

I have to say eating in Lunya was a good experience. The servers were friendly and the food and atmosphere was a delight. For the price of the food wasn't half bad. I really recommend coming here. It is a good experience. 

Location: Manchester M3 2BB Barton Square Manchester

Opening times:

Monday – Wednesday   10.00am – 9.30pm

Thursday                          10.00am – 10.00pm
Friday                               10.00am – 10.30pm
Saturday                           9.00am – 11.00pm
Sunday                             10.00am – 9.00pm

This is Sharon, signing off this week's post. Stay tune every week for more. 

ABEL HEYWOOD: PUB HANGOUTS (UK)

There's one thing that is in abundance in Mnachester, it is definitely pubs. There is always one watering hole somewhere in corner. Their food at times aren't amazing, they aren't actually known for that but at times some pubs serve delicious food. This pub in particular serve not only as a pub and a restaurant but also a boutique hotel. A boutique hotel are very popular at the moment, they are fashionable and they are in the popular part of the town.

Abel Heywood is located near Deansgate at the area famously known as Northern Quarter. It is this big red brick building, probably once a factory in the industrial age. The words Abel Heywood running across the middle of the tall building. It doesn't take very long to get there, and it is very near to Picadilly Station.

We were greeted by a large crowd as it was dinner time. The pub seemed to be a popular destination for many white collars who were socialising after work. The place was bustling with life and it was so crowded we had no idea how to get upstairs to where the restaurant was situated. Eventually we did find it and we were brought to our reserved places immediately.

There was a lovely bar at the front and we all ordered some cocktails. I had strawberry daiquiri and others were mojitos and cider. It was definitely spring with the festive feel from the drinks ordered.

We decided to share appetisers which were marinated fried chicken and fried cuttlefish. The fried chicken was very similar to the korean version which was sticky and sweet. There was some essence of ginger and lime, which some familiar asian spices.

 It was crunchy even though it was heavily marinated. The cuttlefish was delicious, salted properly and seasoned well. It wasn't so oily and actually was very light.

I had the lamb, harrisa rump of lamb with garlic and rosemary potatoes and grilled courgettes. It was delicious to say the least. It was done medium, still pink on the inside. It was marinated with harissa spices and it really went well with the potatoes and courgettes. I finished it really quickly. It has been awhile since I had such meat.

My friends ordered delicious meals and their meal were all wonderfully prepared. There was a seabass with vegetables and asian pork sliders on pieces of chinese white buns and some chili fries.

I would definitely recommend this place to whoever wishes to try good food with great atmosphere. The prices aren't exorbitant nor are they cheap but I think it's worth the meal.


Opening times:

Sunday	11am–11pm
Monday (Spring Bank Holiday)	11am–11pm Hours might differ
Tuesday	11am–11pm
Wednesday	11am–11pm
Thursday	11am–11pm
Friday	11am–12am
Saturday	11am–12am

Location: 38 Turner St, Manchester M4 1DZ 

This is Sharon, signing off this week's post. Stay tune every week for more posts. 

EATING IN AMSTERDAM PART 2: FOOD ADVENTURES

Amsterdam is well known for a lot of things. Scenery, food, people. Red Light District. Of course we cannot leave out the fact of the legal use of marijuana in Amsterdam. The places known for smoking weed and selling them were nicknamed coffee houses, some of them actually selling coffee as well. Though their joints are infamous, it cannot be overlooked on the fact that their coffee should also deserve the praise. Most of the coffee I tried in Amsterdam is delicious. Smooth to the taste, rich and creamy, aromatic. The most notable place I've been was The Coffee company. I never had such good coffee in my life, and I don't think I'll have any better.

I've also had the chance to eat cold cut sandwiches from a local shop in Amsterdam. It was serve on freshly baked brown bread, with slices of pastrami, sauerkraut, mustard, and pickles. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of the coffee or the deli sandwiches but I do however have a picture of the shop. I also have no idea where this place is located. I was happily following the group and eating the sandwiches before I remembered to take a picture of it, same with the coffee. Forgive me, I was hungry.

Well we spent the day, going about the city. The weather was great, visited cute antique shops, and the flower market as well. We visited the Rijks Musuem, which was wonderful. My feet ached by the time I finished.

For dinner, we dined at this Argentinian Restaurant, ordered a tenderloin steak, and believe me it's been months since I had a steak. I'm a student and I live on a budget. So I rarely have expensive meals, and steak is most definitely one of them.

It was tender, lean. The meat melts in your mouth almost, you don't have to chew very much. It was eaten with bearnaise sauce, a rich buttery sauce, emulsified by egg yolks, white vinegar and herbs. I had baked potato with mine, and a turnip salad dressed with vinaigrette.

I don't know where it is. We were just walking about and we found it in the city. We really like how it looked and went in. It was a spontaneous action and by the time the food came I really didn't care anymore.

If you're ever in Amsterdam, you should really try their coffee. It's absolutely is delicious. And bring back some stroopwaffles for friends and family. It's caramel filling between two waffle crusts. I cannot stop eating it.


This is Sharon posting this week's food adventure. Tune in week after week for more of our posts.

MANCHESTER FOOD HUNTING- SEOUL KIMCHI: KOREAN FOOD (UK)

It's been raining for awhile in Manchester, since it's the start of the winter season. Malaysia's weather is usually tropical so I'm used to the rain, but it's mixed in with the cold air, making it so much worse. So I love how conveniently located this particular restaurant was. It's like a ten minute walk from my dorm to Seoul Kimchi, and not to mention the food is really good.

 They sell mostly Korean dishes, as well as Japanese ones. It was really good comparatively to other Korean places. From what I've been told, it is the most authentic and delicious Korean meal to every other Korean restaurant in Manchester. But it has westernised a bit, seeing as some ingredients can't be found here in the UK.

We ordered a set meal, consisting of Jeon (korean pancake), salad, korean miso soup, galbi (a beef stew) and matcha ice-cream. As well as being very well represented, there were also some side dishes. Traditionally served with a meal, like kimchi, kongjorim (marinated soy beans), marinated sliced potatoes( I'm not sure what the name is).

The korean pancake traditionally consists of sliced vegetables mixed in a savory batter and fried like a pancake. It's really delicious if done well, but if the batter is too thick, it would have this doughy consistency which isn't very good. Usual good pancakes will be crispy and not too oily. Korean pancakes would have kimchi usually in them, it is optional though. But others would have sliced vegetables, like in our's, spring onions, some capsicums, both red and green. It was seasoned well, and was crispy. The salad was just a typical leafy salad, with lettuce, rocket, and some sprouts, and capsicum, with a light caesar dressing.

Galbi was a braised beef stew, with carrots and onions and capsicum. It was a nice consistency of sweet and salty, delicious to the taste, with the meat so easily broken apart and therefore melting in my mouth. All the vegetables were boiled properly and not hard at all, and you'll be able to bite easily into it.

The miso soup, something I don't usually like drinking, is as salty as I remember. I have a biased view towards it but it taste like a normal miso soup, though with cabbages, and tofu in it. Miso soup has soy bean base and I don't know why I dislike the taste so much but my friend drank it finish so I assume it was quite good.

 I have to say, matcha ice cream is my Achilles heel. Actually anything matcha just have me sinking on my knees. I absolutely adore eating match base products, and this was delicious. There wasn't any over powering taste of matcha, or under powering that you can't even taste the matcha. This was jsut right. I love the dusty green colour of it, and I'll always be able to eat, even in a cold weather.

This place is a must visit in Manchester if you're looking for good korean food. But I have to say, that the food there is quite expensive, I assume because of the ingredients they have to procure from Korea. The price range well above six to eight pounds for a meal. That's like forty something ringgit or more, including extra dishes. 

They have a facebook page, where you can come and check it out : https://www.facebook.com/seoulkimchimanchester/

Address:

• 275 Upper Brook Street, M13 0HR Manchester, United Kingdom
• The opening times : 
  

  Mon-Sat:	11:30 am-3:30 pm 5:00 pm-9:30 pm
  Sun:	12:00 pm-8:00 pm

THIS IS SHARON. SIGNING OFF FROM THIS WEEK'S BLOG. LOG IN NEXT WEEK FOR JOLYNN'S TURN. 

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