Leftovers #138

North London cultural itinerary, ideal Korean supermarket haul, thoughts on Babygirl etc

After a perfect day in London, I realised that the key to its perfection is a lack of parameters. To luxuriate in its corners without needing to rush or hurry, and without squeezing it in between meetings or appointments or social occasions. As soon as I saw a calendar notification pop up – a work call – I was suddenly unnerved. I hopped on a Lime, riding as delicately (and as fast) as I could so as not to disrupt the sticky clouds of rice and soft morsels of chicken in the box that would become leftovers tomorrow. I was maddened by the pot holes, frustrated by the swathes of people who refused to look right or left, annoyed by the fact I had to rush home rather than take my time walking through the city.

Of course this is simply life. Life in London, to be precise. I’m making the most of it for now. My perfect day involved a light lie in, a bendy yoga class, a coffee listening to my favourite podcast (long, winding voice notes from friends in warmer climes), a trip to the fishmongers, breakfast tacos at home, a hot candlelit shower and a walk to the Barbican where I sat for two hours reading, totally uninterrupted. I made tuna frites for dinner and god it felt so good to have a day where I didn’t really have to be anywhere, at any time.

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What to eat this week

• Seared tuna with a ponzu butter sauce, fries tossed in furikake seasoning and gochujang aioli. Recipe coming soon.

• Congee from Zao An, a new coffee shop in De Beauvoir that’s part of the ESEA Community Centre. I’m so over new openings in DBV but this one is really important to me.

• The only salad you need for dinner: shredded red cabbage, finely chopped kale, thinly sliced radicchio, cukes cut into matchsticks, crispy rice, thinly sliced avocado, mayak eggs on a bed of something silky – you could do whipped beans, hummus or simply whipped tahini with lemon juice, salt and olive oil. Then dress your salad with lime miso vinaigrette.

• Lime Miso Vin

  • Juice of one lime

  • 1 tbsp miso paste

  • 1 tbsp honey

  • 1 large garlic clove grated

  • 3 tbsp olive oil

• A midweek roast that follows the rule of three

  Wednesday Potatoes

• Salsa verde baked salmon with pine nuts for some extra crunch

• Andy Baraghani’s simple brothy beans but with a salami, olive and chilli oil topper

• Sesame chicken cutlets! Winter citrus salad! Whipped tahini!

• I would also like a plate of oysters that looks this luxurious:

  queenstla

  

  A post shared by @queenstla

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Oseyo Haul

I physically gasped when I saw the bright lights of Oseyo sitting under the arches in London Bridge. ICYMI, Oseyo is a Korean supermarket owned by the same people who own H Mart. It’s my go-to in the city when I need Korean ingredients that remind me of home. They sell lots of other products from different Asian countries, too, so it’s my go-to for everything from chilli oils to frozen dim sum dumplings. They have branches in Tottenham Court Road, Victoria, Soho, Angel, London Bridge, Waterloo and Paddington so would high recommend! This is what I usually buy when I’m there if of interest: