February 2025 Favourites list

Hello readers! This month I asked foodies on the Bluesky social media network to recommend places to eat in the London Bridge/Borough Market area as I wanted to do some food shopping and lunch. (Incidentially, Bluesky is a very nice social media network which is well moderated and full of interesting food obsessives, including the Foodie Queen herself, Nigella Lawson.)

As with any request to the "hive mind", lots of people were happy to assist. I received the following recommendations, which I am happy to share with you.

Rambutan (Sri Lankan food)

Akara (West African food)

Berenjak (Persian food)

Juma (Iraqi food)

Lahpet Larder (Myanmar/Burmese food)

Oma (Greek food)

Lobos Tapas and Meat (Spanish food)

Brindisa (Spanish Tapas)

Barrafina (Spanish Tapas)

Al Pastor (Mexican food)

Boot & Flogger (Gastropub)

Mallow (Vegan food)

In the end, inspired by our trip to Myanmar, we chose Lahpet Larder. This month's pictures are from that lunch. It's a very nice small restaurant with an express lunch menu with two courses for £17.50, alongside their a la carte menu. It also stocks some food products if you want to cook the food of Myanmar at home.

 

I hope you enjoy this month's selections and the Burmese food photos. I'll be going back to Borough to check out some of the other recommendations at a later date. 

Food writing

Mushrooms, fascinatingly are neither plant, nor animal. They are definitely delicious, and good for you. The health benefits of regular supermarket mushrooms, and some eyecatching specific varieties: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/mushrooms_health_benefits

Where do Michelin starred chefs go for cheap eats in the UK? This is one to bookmark for later: https://news.sky.com/story/best-cheap-restaurants-uk-picked-by-michelin-chefs-13064691

Corn and lentil fritters

What are the best tinned baked beans? Leading brands and supermarket own brands do battle, as Felicity Cloake taste tests them all. (If your baked beans are bland, you can always make masala baked beans – do check out Meera Sodha’s recipe and Dishoom’s recipe).  https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/feb/08/best-baked-beans

A homemade soup will always have better flavour than shop bought, and better texture than tinned. But if you still think your soup could do with more pep, here are some reasons why your soup could be a bit bland: https://www.marthastewart.com/why-your-soup-is-bland-8788020

Shan pickles

 

Food advice and kitchen tips

Misconceptions about cooking debunked: https://www.mentalfloss.com/misconceptions-about-cooking

I bought a large bag of Lemongrass from the Vietnamese grocery shop in Deptford. Some I intended to use for Bun thit noung, and some for Thai green curry paste. This is for ideas on what I will do with the rest. https://www.eater.com/24365177/lemongrass-home-cooking-how-to-use

Recipes

Nadiya Hussain’s Kabuli pulao brings a taste of Afghanistan to your plate – a spicy lamb pulao with a side dish of spinach and carrot, raisin and almond topping: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/nadiya-hussain-recipe-ramadan-rice-kabuli-pulao-b2684063.html

Felicity Cloake’s “Perfect” series is always worth reading, as she compares recipes, and does the hard work so you don’t have to. Her investigation into the variants of Sichuan Smacked cucumbers will give you a number of variations to try, after you’ve tried her version: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/jan/15/how-to-make-the-perfect-smacked-cucumbers-recipe

Lahpet thoke - pickled tea salad

Boondis are little fried pearls of besan (chick pea flour), used in sweet and savoury dishes. Here is a Boondi Raita In Minty Yoghurt Sauce recipe from Mamta’s Kitchen: https://www.mamtaskitchen.com/recipe_display.php?id=14081

Food and music

Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand used to be a chef. As the band reinvent themselves with a new line up, Alex reflects on food and music: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/jan/26/alex-kapranos-it-took-me-a-few-years-to-realise-that-i-didnt-have-to-drink-everything-on-the-rider

What you might have missed at Snig’s Kitchen

Chaat are one of my food obsessions. This lesser known Indian food tradition encompasses many street food classics. Want to know more? Dive into my beginner’s guide: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2025/02/chaat-beginners-guide.html

Braised pork noodle salad

 

TV

Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands

There are always hidden stories in music. This documentary explores the untold story of Scotland’s girl bands. From 80s pop-goth icons Strawberry Switchblade to lesser known acts, this decade by decade exploration of women in music is going to get you exploring the songs and histories for days and weeks afterwards.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00265qy/since-yesterday-the-untold-story-of-scotlands-girl-bands

Belachaung

 

Film

Quiz Lady

Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) and Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) play against type as warring sisters who have to put their differences behind them to help their mother who owes gambling debts to a very unsavoury man. One sister has a hidden talent; a genius at answering quiz questions. This isn’t for serious film buffs, it’s just for fun. I saw this on BBC iPlayer, but it has been removed. It is available on Disney+.

https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/movies/quiz-lady

Ballywalter

Billed as a “comedy drama” but this is more drama than for laughs, Patrick Kielty and Seána Kerslake play hopeless losers brought together by coincidence, bad luck, bad judgment, and loneliness, who end up finding hope in their growing friendship. TW: suicidal intentions.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00265s8/ballywalter 

Please note: as with every monthly Favourites List, all of these items have been selected by me simply because I love them. I do not receive any money, benefits in kind or other incentive for posting these links or recommendations.