The Sneaky Magpie

Another extremely busy weekend, juggling lots of tasks and managing to do some fun things too.

On Saturday morning I met a friend for her first bike trip in London, we started lightly on a 20 minute ride to Dulwich Picture Gallery. The gallery is in such a lovely spot and the works displayed are just the right mix of old masters, as usual there is a very good representation of the Flemish golden age which I adore.

As we started quite early we decided to go to Brixton and have a lunch at Franco Manca, we got there just past 12.00 to get the last table, few minutes later the queue was 20 people long. Franco Manca’s pizza is legendary and I heard many opinions by the locals blaming Claphamites for invading the place. Well, I visited with a local so I guess that’s ok? Anyway, the pizza is amazing and dirt cheap, definitely worth waiting for.

Back home for a brief moment and hubby and I were out of the door heading up to town to do a spot of shopping. Oxford Street was heaving so we got what we needed and quickly moved away to the quiet Kaffeine for some refreshments. They had some rather delicious carrot and lemon marmalade.

Sunday started early again, we met up with friends for breakfast at Gail’s, the morning was glorious with sun shining, market stalls unpacking and a pleasant company.

Back home to do some important mortgage paperwork, dull but it got done. Then we were off again, this time to Battersea Car Boot Sale, we had a clear idea of what we wanted and pretty much stayed focused. We have a long list of birthday gifts to get and a couple of people definitely would appreciate something vintage. A beautiful tile for my mother in law, a bag of figs grown in Balham for us (they were delicious!) and a sleek Denby dish for a friend (tried to haggle but the woman kept saying ‘it’s Denby, it’s the last piece of Denby I have got, no discount, it’s Denby!’ she was lying, there was a Denby jug just next to it, oh well).

On a way back home M smelled steak. Le Pot Lyonnais is a restaurant I pass twice daily on my way to and from work and it always looks tempting in the evening with tables on the pavement. So we gave it a go and I must say it was a proper French fair of steak frites and poulet.

So a lot of nice things but also a lot of mundane tasks like washing, house cleaning and grocery shopping. I need some rest now!

Jessica from Signature Scent asked me to guest blog for each other. I have written about my favorite perfume on her site and she did a brilliant job with writing up a food guide for Northcote Road.

Delis

Al Gusto

This is a charming corner deli in a great people-watching spot. Perfect for a quick lunch, a sandwich or a cake in the afternoon. The sunny location means that the outdoor seating area is always packed in the summer months.

Northcote Patisserie

Local treasure, Manuel, knows all the locals and greets everybody with a welcoming smile. The fun atmosphere and cute combination of greasy spoon and Italian deli means that this patisserie is packed out day after day. The toasted mozzarella ciabattas alone are worth the visit – you won’t need to eat again for a week.

La Dolce Vita

Dolce Vita opened in December 2009 – so has yet to create a loyal following. There are a couple of tables to eat the promising deli food in house. Lots of treats to choose from and some great Italian pasta and other authentic produce.

Gastro Pubs

The Bolingbroke

Buzzing atmosphere ensures that the Bolingbroke is busy seven nights a week. The sophisticated decor and outstanding service make this a solid place for evening drinking and good food. More of a thirty something crowd than other places along Northcote Road.

The Draft House

One of a small group of local pubs, in a location that was previously occupied by the Pitcher and Piano. The new vibe is much more promising and the menu looks great.

Tea

Gail’s

Originally established in North London, Gail’s is a luscious bakery with loads of great deli bites and sweet treats. The seating space at the back always has proper tunes playing: more of a hip London vibe than anywhere else locally.

Brew

Successful cafe in a very small location means that they have had to make the most of their space. Blankets and outdoor heaters out front so that the outdoor seats are usually fully occupied even on the coldest day. If you want to stay away from the nappy crowd, then Brew is your place. Great menu includes fantastic scrambled eggs and a great selection of salads at the counter.

Crumpet

Directly opposite Brew, Crumpet is catering to the family market. Kids’ menu, kids’ portions and baby friendly facilities are amongst Crumpet’s main features. The staff are generally friendly and accommodating, although they can seem a bit frazzled at the busiest times.

TAMRA

TAMRA has recently taken over from what was a family institution, Boiled Egg and Soldiers. The vivid orange exterior doesn’t exactly welcome you the morning after the night before. But, great for breakfasts or a deli style lunch.

Steak

La Pampa Grill

Argentinian steakhouse. Great local steak place. If this one is busy, there’s a second La Pampa on Battersea Rise.

Cattle Grid

Recent addition to Northcote Road, great for steaks and ribs. Small restaurant, perhaps a bit lacking in atmosphere, not helped by the theme park fibreglass bull parked outside. Local opinion is that the steaks at La Pampa are better.

Italian & Spanish

Buona Sera

Buona Sera is one of those places that you go for birthday parties or big group lunches. It’s a rowdy, raucous pizza place. Lots of fun and the staff are super friendly. Best dish is the paella.

Lola Rojo

A stylish, modern take on tapas in an equally stylish setting. The deli counter sells Spanish specialities to take away on Saturdays. Outside seating area is perfect for summer evenings to bask in the sunshine and watch the passer-by.

Numero Uno

This local institution is a family-run restaurant; great for gourmet Italian food. Pizza doesn’t feature on the menu. If you feel like bresaola, or some lobster, this is the place. Friendly, Italian waiting staff will make you feel like you are the best customer they’ve ever had.

Osteria Antica Bologna

This was reviewed by the Sneaky Magpie herself a week or two ago.

Salumeria Napoli

Authentic Italian deli. Great seasonal produce as well as regular favourites. If you get a craving for Panetone, this is the place to buy it.

Tapas Variadas

The owner, who looks more like she’s from Hawaii than Spain, can be great fun or not. But don’t be put off by the odd scowl, the food is worth it. Lunchtime seafood paella for two is fantastic value for money. And make sure that you have a good look at the taps cabinet inside – some great food.

Vito’s

An Italian in a great corner location.

Thank you Jess, I will be trying a lot of those places soon!

Today, as planned, we went down to Northcote Road to have a proper look – the market stalls are not very exciting so I’ll stick to the farmers market.

Instead, we went to Gail’s for coffee and cake. I had cheesecake with blueberries, it looked so good I couldn’t resist but it turned out to be too rich, I should have settled on a pretty blueberry and pistachio cake or like my more sensible other half – bran muffin, much nicer. I also bought some French sourdough bread, they have a great choice of bakery goods.

Afterward we wandered down the street and came across Recipease, Jamie Oliver’s newish venture. It caught my eye because the outside is painted with horrible baby pink color. The shop sells cook books, crockery, kitchen accessories, ready made meals and some condiments. I haven’t bought any but I am tempted to go back as the jams looked delicious.

At the back of the shop there’s a cooking workshop. The recipes are really dead easy so I wouldn’t recommend going unless you wanna know how to make spaghetti with meat balls or fruit crumble. It does what it says on the tin I suppose…

Later in the afternoon I decided to do some baking (yes, I did have a savory snack in between the cheese cake and baking!) I bought some new baking accessories recently and was eager to use them. I wanted something simple and settled on tea cakes. The recipe I used is very simple and versatile – it’s also butter free:

2 eggs

100g sugar

180g natural yogurt

80ml olive oil

zest and juice of 1 lemon

40g poppy seeds

1tsp vanilla extract

205g plain flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

strawberries

Preheat oven to 180 degrees, prepare ramekins or molds.

Cream the eggs and sugar till smooth. Add lemon zest and juice, olive oil, yogurt and vanilla and whip, add sifted flour, baking powder and poppy seeds. You can exchange some of the flour for bit of ground almonds. Stir well.

Fill your containers half way as the cakes will expand in the oven. I put halves of strawberries on the top but seeing the result I would probably cover almost the whole top with them next time, they create lovely moisture that counterbalances the dry cake. You can use any fruit, seeds and nuts you desire, the basic cake recipe will work with everything.

Bake for 30 min or till golden brown. Enjoy!