Mini Bites: Scooter Caffé, Waterloo

I went along to a great little place last night, and all you lot should really know about it. Hidden away at the Westminster end of Lower marsh is a tiny little café with a pretty novel idea. Packed to the hilt with scooter memorabilia, from a full blown scooter in the window to number plates all over the walls, it sells drinks. Yep, just drinks. From Monmouth coffee to all sorts of booze, you are welcomed to rock up, enjoy the internet and have a few drinks. The atmosphere is laid back and it kind of feels you’re in your own living room. There are even the addition of a few cats running around.

The clincher for me is that they welcome you to bring in your own food. It’s a pretty novel concept in my eyes, and I like it. Bring food, drink their drinks, do work, enjoy with friends. Scooter Caffé is what you want it to be. I love the lax atmosphere and more importantly, free wifi. Take into consideration the little events they hold like Monday night film nights, open mic and cartoons, and you have a pretty great place to hole up and chill out. Love it.

Scooter Caffé - 132 Lower Marsh, South Bank, London SE1 7AE

Embarking on the "Purnell's Tour" in Birmingham

Purnell's and I have not always had a great relationship. Last year, alongside my fellow intrepid food tourists (also known as my dad and my sister), we set off bright and early from Surrey in order to make our way to Birmingham for a 1:30pm lunch date. All was going well up the M6 until we were caught downwind of a large crash outside Birmingham, and were inevitably delayed. Ringing up the restaurant to tell them we were going to be late, they informed us that the kitchen took last orders at 13:45. Regardless of the fact that we had travelled from London just to eat there, were told that no order would be taken past that time. We were desolate and stuck on the motorway, two factors which often go hand in hand. As we drove past at 13:55, I pleaded with Twitter for options, and headed to Lasan. Thankfully, our journey was not in vain as Lasan knocked the proverbial out of the park, so much so that my dad and sister have been hankering for a return journey.

So there I was outside Purnells once again, a year and a half later and midway through a mini staycation. Would it be worth it?

Bread Street Kitchen

Poor old Gordon does get a bit of a bashing in the press, doesn’t he. It was always inevitable that there would be an automatic condemnation of any new venture, and the launch of Bread St Kitchen was no different. Early feedback was ambivalent about the food, with many concentrated heavily on the shambolic service that they had received. Personally, I can forgive certain aspects of poor service, especially in the first week of opening, as long as the food is good enough to back it up. Having been invited to join a few others to give the menu a road test, I really wasn’t sure what to expect.

Union Hand Roasted and everything I wanted to know about coffee

Aaah coffee, that sweet magical elixir, full of dark mystery and restorative properties. Nothing better than having that equally sweet and bitter nectar, combined with a dash of milk to mellow out the flavours slip down your throat. The conqueror of mornings and cure for hangovers. Coffee how I love thee.

Coffee had been just another drink for me for many years. Something I would buy in granule format from the local supermarket, chuck in a mug with milk, hot water and sugar, and be done with it. Over the years, following visits to Australia where coffee is a culture, to Bali where the specialise in coffee pooped by the civet cat and more recently following the emergence of London's coffee scene, I have learnt to embrace coffee as more than just a hot drink, but of a complex and incredibly enjoyable beverage.

El Burrito: Celebrating Mexican Independence Day

The 15th of September is Mexican Independence day, and in order to celebrate such a joyous occasion, I was led to a small restaurant priding themselves on "antoijitas and margaritas", translated loosely as snacks and booze. Above and beyond your standard burrito fare, the menu is extensive and contains lesser known Mexican delights such as flautas and tamales. Do not be deceived by the slightly tacky frontage and ramshackle appearance, this is a place run by passionate Mexicans, offering out tasters of their frozen margaritas as if it were water.

Big Apple Hot Dogs: Slaying the hype monster

I hate hype. When some places have an impending opening or start receiving a flood of adoration, you can't look left or right but to see a blog writeup, a newspaper review or a tweet. The main reason for my ire is that I have been let down by hype on many occasions. For example, I was non plussed by king Heston's Dinner, where a sadly overcooked piece of pork, an absence of atmosphere and haughty prices led to a disappointing experience. Much the same with Pollen Street Social, where a table of six was squirrelled away down the side the bar, again devoid of atmosphere and serving some badly cooked misjudged plates of food.

Enter the Young Guns: The Young Turks

There was a time when French techniques ruled the pass. When the likes of Marco Pierre White and more recently a certain Gordon Ramsay brought French techniques and haute cuisine to London restaurants. Those guys are still knocking around, one selling stock cubes and the other working hard to promote his TV career, but it seems quite clear that their time has come and gone. Now is the time for the new breed, of new food and of innovation, and London is where you are going to find it.

Caribbean Spice Jerk Center, the home of Jerk.

Walk down the alleyway where the Caribbean Spice Jerk center is located, and I guarantee you will walk straight past it without even a second glance. Hidden away under the arches of Peckham railway station is the incredibly unassuming but startlingly deceiving little Jerk takeaway. I was headed here for one thing and one thing only, the jerk pork.

I had just moved into my Peckham flat, and after surveying Food Stories for the local treats, an article mentioning her favourite jerk emporium had me salivating. I had to have it. Behind the counter stands a short Caribbean woman, casually conversing in patois with most of her clientele and it actually takes a little while for her to realise I am there. Once my order of Jerk pork is taken, she disappears into her kitchen out the back to carefully assemble my box of meat and rice.

Prufrock, a morning making coffee look good.

Every so often, something drops into my inbox and my heart starts racing. I love coffee, and in London, Prufrock is integral to London's coffee culture, so when I opened an invite to come along to one of their training courses held at their HQ in Leather Lane, I couldn't turn it down. I've been a fan of Prufrock and the Square Mile beans they use from the first moment I took a sip from Pitch 42 at Whitecross Market. If I am ever in Shoreditch, I make a beeline straight for present where Prufrock has been hiding out, and now, they have their own much larger space, to educate and train those who are interested in coffee.

Ariana II, What is Afghan food?

I think I've only properly visited Kilburn twice in my past. Once was to partake in the infamous Kilburn pub crawl when I was at university, and the other, last week when I was at Ariana II, an Afghan restaurant. So what is Afghan cuisine you might ask? "That would be a good question." I would reply. The truth is, I hadn't a clue. My initial guess was something rice and stew based, but a little research showed grilled meats also featuring heavily, with a much more middle eastern tilt. Either way, my curiosity was piqued, and when it was suggested we gave it a go, I got myself ready to wander back down to Kilburn once again.