An Edible Voyage

February 2020 I'm not usually a doughnut fan, but Big Shot Coffee and Doughnuts enticed me in with their unusual flavours.  Passion Fruit Meringue and Bakewell Tart both made my short list, but in the end I went for the s'more in doughnut form.  The toasted Italian meringue's gooey texture worked well with the doughnut, however I found overall that the doughnut was dense and had less flavour than I was anticipating.  I was also hoping for some crunchy Graham crackers for that all important contrasts of textures, but they were a little on the soft side.  These doughnuts are certainly eye-catching, perhaps I just made a bad flavour choice. Find them at Seven Dials Market, London.

March 2020 For a great scoop of ice cream, check out Hackney Gelato.  Run by two chefs who met whilst working at a Michelin starred restaurant, this is grown-ups ice cream.  Vegan offerings are made with coconut cream and have a mousse like texture which I really enjoyed. although the Coconut and Lime flavour could have done with a little more zestiness.  The Chocolate Marmalade was smooth, rich and luxurious, perfect for any chocolate orange lover.  It was a divine mouthful, although I'm not sure I could manage a whole scoop.  Following my taste test, the one I went for was Pistachio, Almond and Lemon.  The lemon made it refreshing, and the almond added another dimension to the nuttiness.  A delicious scoop which held its flavour right to the end of the scoop.  Even the waffle cone was flavoursome and perfectly crispy, and there was the added benefit of a flake on top (I thought those were limited to childhood 99s when they were actually 99p)...

March 2020 I was very excited by this concept and couldn't wait to try it.  Imagawayaki, or wheel cakes, are a Taiwanese hand-held wheel of pancake enclosing a flavoured custard - matcha, chocolate, adzuki bean...  This had the potential to have a crispy outside and fluffy middle, oozing with sweet custard offset by matcha.  Unfortunately it was a bit soggy, I think from being cooked in batches earlier in the day, and the matcha was incredibly bitter.  But if you manage to get your hands on a fresh one, I think they could be great! Find it at Wheelcake Island, Seven Dials Market, London.

March 2020 London's best burger?  I'd say so!  Finger-lickingly good, messy, truffle mayo oozing out.  Fig jam in a burger? Genius!  The beef and smoked bacon patty is full flavoured, meaty and perfectly pink; the brioche roll soft; the crispy shallots adding some crunch.  This is a luxurious burger, naughty but nice, where the truffle actually comes through (unlike many of its counterparts).  The only bad point, the raclette cheese is totally overpowered so you wouldn't even know it was there.  Which begs the question, is it even needed?  Find it at Truffle Burger, Seven Dials Market, London