Chin Chin Labs in Camden

After reading reviews of London's top ice cream parlours Chin Chin Labs had been on my hit list for a while. Amidst the hussle and bustle that is Camden market on a Saturday afternoon I found the small ice creamery next to Gilgamesh. 

My friend and I quickly nipped in to the fudge shop next door to stock up on goodies to eat in the que for Chin Chins (not that it was long..we're just greedy). They did traditional and unusual fudges like mojito and amaretto and coffee fudge. Whilst my friend Becky opted for the dark chocolate and sea salt, I bought a piece of chocolate coated bacon. Yes the saltiness of the bacon pumped up the flavour of the chocolate but I'm not sure I'd buy it again, but you have to buy these things to know if you like it.

In the queu for ice cream I then had the difficult task of deciding what flavour I'd like. They had 3 regular flavours then a special although there is nothing normal about this ice creamery let me tell you!!

Here's a great description by Timeout...

"Now a fixture of Camden Market, the innovative Chin Chin Labs – where ice-cream is frozen to order amid billowing clouds of liquid nitrogen-generated steam – may not seem as wacky as it once did, but there are always new tourists to surprise, and plenty of regulars happy to queue for the fabulous ice-cream. The menu is commandingly short: chocolate, vanilla and two specials – one ice-cream, one dairy-free sorbet. The latter always astounds with its fat-free creaminess and cool flavours, such as griddled peach, watermelon and dill, or beetroot choc chip. Haute cuisine references are frequent in flavours such as coffee and tobacco, or Guinness caramel with smoked salt. Experimental, yes, but the results are reliably superb. Pimp your tub with a veritable chemistry set of sprinkles and sauces (we liked the white chocolate-coated potato chips with our summery strawberry and hay ice-cream) – you too can be a molecular gastronomist."

Choosing the toppings was just as exciting as choosing the flavour. They had griddles white chocolate, cardamom and pistachio powder, green tea peanut brittle to name a few. 

I finally chose coconut sun cream when they announced they'd sold out...typical! But they replaced it with an exciting retro flavour of 'Peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich with a caramelised toasted bread topping'..how could I refuse!! So here it is along with the griddles white chocolate. How do you grill white chocolate..seems only the laboratorists know!!

At rock bottom prices that include an ice cream and a topping or sauce (extra toppings or sauces are 45p) I can't recommend this place enough. Even If the queu looks long just watching the Chin Chin laboratorists at work was an exciting experience!!

Baba Ghanoush

Living in London (when I'm not at University) there are cuisines available from all over the world. One of my favourite restaurants is based in the seedy part of Soho, Yalla Yalla serves up authentic Beirut street food. Found down a small alley I only discovered the place after a friends recommendation. Dishes from the menu include Baba Ghanoujj (charcoaled aubergine dip), fattoush (salad that's includes crispy pitta bread and sumac) and Lahem Meshoue (charcoal grilled marinated lamb skewers). I never had a bad meal here and the beers (Almaza Lebanese beer) aren't bad either.

To accompany a recent barbecue I decided to recreate Yalla Yalla's Baba Ghanoujj. Whenever I have ordered it here they garnish it with fresh pomegranate seeds and mint leaves. In my recipe I have included pomegranate molasses. It has sweet and sour notes and can be purchased Waitrose. Sesame seed oil isn't traditionally added however I love the nuttiness and flavour the oil has.

Ingredients...

• 2 medium aubergines
• 4 heaped tbsp of tahini (sesame paste)
• The juice of half a lemon
• 1 clove of crushed garlic
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil (if you don't have any, just replace with olive oil)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp Pomegranate molasses 
• Seeds from half a pomegranate
• 2-3 fresh mint leaves

Method...

Bake or grill the aubergines until the skin turns black. Once their centres are soft scrape the flesh out into a bowl, discard the skin. Mix in the garlic, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, sesame oil and the salt and pepper until everything is well combined. Place in the serving bowl, drizzle on the pomegranate molasses then sprinkle on the pomegranate seeds and tear the mint leaves on top.

Top Tip...
Make sure the aubergine skins are scorched all over, this is necessary to achieve that smoky flavour.

Serving Suggestion...
Serve alongside warm flat bread or pitta.

Enjoy!

Greek Inspired Lamb Marinade

I recently bought a leg of lamb from Morrisons yet wasn't entirely sure what to do with it. In the past I have used a french recipe and stuffed the leg with garlic and other herbs and served it with dauphinoise potatoes, although this was delicious I felt it didn't quite compliment the recent tropical climate. A few years back my family and I visited the town of Spanhori on the Greek Ionian Island. The local (and only) restaurant served up simple dishes of barbecued meats and fresh salads. Using this as an inspiration I decided to concoct a marinade of my fond memories of this restaurant..something fresh, zesty and perfect for barbecuing.

Ingredients...

• 4 generous tbsp of olive oil
• The juice of half a lemon
  
• 2 generous tbsp of dried thyme
• 2 generous tbsp of dried oregano
• 6-10 fresh mint leaves
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• a good pinch of rock salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method...

If your going to barbecue the leg of lamb be sure to de-bone it, then *butterfly the meat. Making the marinade couldn't be simpler just put all of the ingredients into a small bowl, mix and rub into the meat. I recommend marinating the leg of lamb at least 2 hours before cooking.I cooked the lamb on a coal barbecue for about 20 minutes each side as I enjoy it slightly rare, but just extend the cooking time if you prefer it medium to well done.

Top Tip...
Rip the mint to release it's wonderful fragrance and help it infuse with the rest of the ingredients


Serving suggestions...
We enjoyed ours with butter bean salad, tomato and onion salad and baba ghanoush (a middle eastern aubergine dip).




*Butterflying meat refers to you cutting the meat almost but not all the way through (opening it up like a book) to increase the surface area so it can cook more evenly.

Kalí óreksi!