Exploring the heart of Camden Market

I am a huge fan of Borough market, I drag Greg up there regularly on weekends to explore all of the stands but I am yet to have visited Camden, massive faux par.We booked lunch at Gilgamesh in the centre of Camden market so it gave us the perfect chance to explore! After wandering through the various stalls of t-shirts, paintings and jewellery, oh and munching on a couple of pancakes we were ready to sit down for lunch at Gilgamesh.

Walking up the stairs, I had heard that the interior had a cool vibe but it was something else, a really incredible design, it is definitely instagramable!

We started off with a cocktail each, Greg went for a gin and tonic, whilst I favoured a fruity mocktail before tucking into our starters. I went for California rolls whilst Greg chose the duck spring rolls. Mine were beautifully fresh, served with pickled ginger and wasabi, whilst Greg’s was packed full of duck, hoisin sauce and cucumber.

For mains I went for the beef short rib which was served with shredded carrot, onions and a jus. It melted in the mouth and teared apart so easily, it was perfectly cooked. Greg has the Thai Green Curry which came with a pot of rice and a soup style bowl for the curry. He thoroughly enjoyed it by the curry had a sharp kick so if spicy isn’t your thing, best to avoid!

The food was incredibly filling but we still had a small space for dessert, both Greg and I chose the chocolate brownie which came with vanilla ice cream and a biscuit crumb. It was really indulgent and an A class dessert.

I would thoroughly recommend lunch at Gilgamesh although whilst we were there we spotted quite a few people enjoying afternoon tea which looked delicious. We will definitely be returning for that soon!

Sushimania

I am just going to start this by saying I LOVE SUSHI, it never used to be something I was bothered about but now I have literally become obsessed, it is my favourite choice for food so I was very excited to hear that there was an all you can eat in Reading.

I’ve lived in Reading pretty much my whole life and had never heard of this place but it is towards the Hexagon and away from the main strip of restaurants which is probably why. 

The way the all you can eat works is - you are given a piece of paper with all the dishes on at your table, you circle which ones you want to eat (maximum 6 dishes at a time) and they bring it freshly prepared to your table, very easy!

We started off with the shrimp tempura and the chicken teriyaki, the tempura was light and crisp and came with a side of soy sauce. 

The chicken teriyaki (we ordered two because we’re greedy and it was all you can eat soo) was possibly my favourite, huge chunks of chicken came with a sticky sauce which generously covered it and left plenty of dipping sauce for our other choices.

Next we ordered four different types of sushi: California Roll, Prawn Katsu with avocado, chicken Katsu and duck with cucumber. The California roll contained crab, avocado, cucumber and mayo expertly wrapped into a Futomaki – a long roll of rice, my only critique was trying to fit the whole thing into my mouth in one go!

Next up the Prawn Katsu with Avocado, a clear favourite for both of us, this had the perfect balanced of fish with the creaminess of the avocado. Definitely worth getting a couple of portions!

The Duck and Cucumber was a little more unique, I am not a huge fan of salmon or tuna so I was quite excited that this menu had slightly different offerings. This was probably my least favourite dish as the plum sauce overpowered the duck and cucumber, so it was a little disappointing.

The Chicken Katsu came with avocado (notice a theme) and a generous splash of mayo, it was delicious. Crispy chicken in sushi form has to be one of my favourites.

After the sushi we decided to try the noodle dishes on the menu, I went for the Grilled Chicken Ramen in Soya Soup. It came with a dollop of noodles, chunks of chicken in a warm and tasty clear broth. The broth itself was full of flavour and I could easily have eaten a whole bowl of just that, but the noodles and chicken added a little more texture – a tasty dish overall.

Suzie ordered the Yaki Udon with beef, thick and chunky noodles with chicken and beansprouts covered in a sticky soy sauce. I’m not a huge noodle fan but this had a really rich taste and was the perfect main course if you’re not a huge sushi fan.

Overall I would definitely return to Sushimania when I fancy a sushi feast! 

Bluegrass BBQ

Reading is my go-to place for food, I absolutely love London but it is a bit of a trek when you just fancy a good brunch so I usually end up in Reading.

I’ve been to Bluegrass a few times for both the lunch/dinner menu and the brunch menu. This review is going to be about the brunch menu, usually I'm boring and always go for the same choice: Chocolate Chip pancake stack, but I decided to change it up and go for one of their savoury options. 

I went for the Smokehouse plate and Greg went for the Ultimate place, both of which come with unlimited tea and coffee.

Mine included Texas toast, baked eggs, mushrooms, homemade hash browns, bacon, sausages and BBQ beans. Normally I love the pancakes but I have to say I was a little disappointed by the savoury offering, the BBQ beans were definitely a favourite and I would order those again with the Texas toast as a side. They can be ordered with meat or vegetarian, I chose meat and it came with chunks of pulled pork in a bbq tasting sauce – really delicious. 

Sadly the rest of it did not live up to expectation, the bacon was a little overdone, as were the baked eggs and there was only one little mushroom!

Greg's included Texas toast, baked eggs, mushrooms, homemade hash browns, bacon, sausages, BBQ beans, pulled pork, grilled tomatoes and a side of buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup.

Greg’s was also not too great with the pancakes being the only part he enjoyed. His pancakes came with a mini pot of maple syrup and were light and fluffy – I was a little jealous. I think next time I will just stick to the usual pancakes!