Pizza Love

My earliest memory of pizza was when I was in Secondary School and guys were using Pizza as a...err...toasting tool. Lol. Do you pips remember, when guys would bring pizza to the babe they liked or were toasting in secondary school? And if “liver gree dem”, they would take it to the girls house trembling in fear of the babe’s father or big brothers? Then, as things progressed, they would even take the babe out for some for some....yup, you got it, Pizza! Pizza love...LMAO!

Now the place that I remember as being a favourite was, you guessed it right, Double 4 Restaurant on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi. It was the pizza place of choice those days. I know y’all are trying to guess my age right?...yeah, try harder.  Anyway, I remember those days and it was fun!

Double 4 Pizza was as good as you could get in Lagos and it was pretty decent; but back then what did I really know about pizza?!

My first trip to Italy came a couple of years later and I have had the pleasure of going back there to visit Italy’s various cities. After recovering from my shopping expeditions, you would likely find me “recuperating” in a Pizzeria or Cafe, where I would be seating outside having a nice cup of cappuccino while taking in the view of gorgeous men walking on the streets. (Hmmmmm.....delicioussssss).

I also got to eat pizza...lots of it and in many cities but the pizza from Napoli was my very favourite. I don’t know what it was and cannot really explain it but there was just something “deep” about the pizza and it was not even the pan! (no pun intended). The pizza from Napoli were really huge (well so I thought until I finished it) and they just tasted divine...like a relaxing all-expenses-paid holiday, captured in dough and tomatoes, cheese, herbs and toppings – just joyful! Just thinking about it makes me crave for a slice so badly.

I went there with a friend of mine and we ordered a pizza with ham (I loooove any meat based pizza). They brought out this huge pizza made in a wood fired brick oven and using the freshest ingredients of course. The crust was nice and thin (no deep pans here – not in Napoli), covered in tomato sauce (made from fresh tomatoes and herbs) with melted puffs of mozzarella cheese bubbling away lightly on top, then generously layered with slices of fresh parma ham and finally finished with a nice drizzle of good quality olive oil. I picked up a slice and took a bite, felt my eyes closing while my mouth leaped up in excitement enjoying every single bite of the pizza and was totally oblivious of the juices that were running down my fingers. Simply said, it was absolutely delicious and was everything that I thought pizza should taste like. It was undoubtedly one of the best pizzas I had eaten! Of course, I end up comparing any pizza I eat to that one in Napoli.

Now recently, a friend of mine recommended a place in Lagos to my office for an after work event. The place is called Pizze-Riah but I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect but in the spirit of Grubaholic adventures I was excited at the prospect of somewhere new that  I could share with you. The things I do for the love of my blog (*sigh*).

Located on Musa Yar’Adua Street off Idowu Martins in Victoria Island, Lagos, the restaurant has a nice outdoor setting of cafe and lounge chairs. We sat outside and my friend ordered for us. They had an outdoor brick wood fired oven and you can see the pizza being made while you wait. He ordered several types of pizza which were all delicious but my favourite was the Alla Ricardo Pizza. It just took me right back to Napoli and had all the flavours I enjoyed in my Napolitano pizza. The crust of their pizza is nice and thin and holds all the favours of the fresh tomato sauce with the mozzarella cheese melting nicely away with generous slices of ham and little slices of green chiili for some heat (say yes, somebody!). When you take a bite of that pizza all the flavours just burst in your mouth and the crust just melts away then you get the slight heat of the chilli and you don’t notice the sauce as it drips on your hand while you munch away. Hehehehehehe. I literally fell in pizza love and of course my diet efforts went downhill that night...again, but joyfully this time.

I absolutely enjoyed their pizza and stick out my neck to say “It’s the best pizza I’ve had so far in Nigeria!”. But apart from pizza, Pizze-Riah also make nice chicken suya (grilled pieces of chicken coated in a dried spice blend) and they have a nice tomato and avocado salad with a red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing, which is nice and very refreshing.

 Shamefully, I was there the next day....well I took my friends from D’Crew there to try it out, it would have been selfish not to. Anyway, the verdict was the same, they all left oohing and aaahing about the deliciousness of the pizza but not without taking the menu of course. (grinning).

Unfortunately, they don’t deliver but good thing for me because I don’t think I can wait that long to get my pizza, I’m better off ordering it myself and taking it home. Well, if it gets home, I mean seriously, why waste a good hot pizza when you can eat it while it’s hot.

Yours in Pizza Love,

Grubaholic.

Lunchtime Palaver

Lunchtime is usually the highlight of my working day and I practically start planning it when I get to work (abeg stop rolling your eyes joo!). But, somehow, I usually end up not concluding on what I want to eat by lunchtime and basically just grab whatever is convenient for anyone to get for me. Now working in Victoria Island, my main issue is usually trying to decide which fast food restaurant will offer me the quickest option and what I typically like from their menu.

Depending on my dietary needs….yes, I know; unfortunately being a grubaholic comes with a few downsides, the expanding belly area, which means that my clothes “suddenly” become tight and I spend hours trying to find what to wear. Now when I do find something that goes over my bum, my poor brother is then subjected to trying to zip me in. You should hear him saying “Sis… it’s not going to work, don’t let me spoil the zipper.” Then I say “Try again, you need to pull it together and zip it up!!!”. Finally, he gives in and says,  ”Yeah, there’s too much space in-between each side of the zipper…it’s not coming together”. By this time I’m all sweaty and tired and even I give up, there’s no hope!

I’m sorry to bore you with my wardrobe issues, but chics like me know what I am saying! It requires a moment.

Now, back to my lunch troubles.

I have a few default fast food restaurants that I run to when its crunch time and hunger pangs have made me grumpy. My top pick is Tastee Fried Chicken, partly because it’s fast (near my office) and the meals are…well, tasty (no pun intended). Depending on my mood, I usually bounce between their Fried Rice and Chicken or Pam Rice (White Rice and stew fried with palm oil and laced with little surprises of assorted meat…*sighing at the memory*). However, in the spirit of shedding a few kilograms, I recently stumbled upon, and made up my own combo of, their Dodo (fried plantains) and Efo Riro (stir fried spinach in pepper sauce with locally smoked fish and pan-dried shrimps). Guys…(yes we can hold hands on this and have a moment of joyous fellowship at this revelation)… they have THE BEST Dodo ever. Particularly if you get them freshly fried and piping hot. Tastee (we work on first name basis now *smiley face*) use nicely ripened plantains, cut in generous chunky slices and fried till its golden brown. Dodo perfection!

Oh yeah…the diet.  So, depending on how committed I feel, one portion of Dodo with Efo Riro is fine but sometimes I go for two when I’m feeling err…greedy!

Another place that I like for something different is Munchies. I don’t order regularly from Munchies but I do like their beans. Of all the beans I’ve eaten in fast food restaurants, theirs is my favourite. The beans are cooked with green and red peppers (making it slightly spicy) and pieces of dried smoked fish which gives it plenty of flavour. Now combine the beans with TFC’s Dodo and you are in beans and dodo heaven! Absolutely yummy. (smiley face)

A nice departure from the usual fast food restaurants is the newly opened UTC Food Court.

I just noticed that my friend who hardly indulges in lunch was eating meals everyday from the UTC Food Court and started raving about it with conviction. My friend usually orders the Fried Rice and Stir Fried Chicken, which is nice but I decided to try their basmati fried rice and curry chicken, which was also tasty. I later tried the rice with their spicy fish and that was the winner for me. The fish is lightly fried and covered in a sweet and very spicy sauce and when eaten with the rice, the spiciness is mellowed.  I also like their takeaway packs, really nice!

My other lunch favorites are White Rice and Efo Egusi (vegetable cooked in pepper sauce with grounded melon seeds) from Sweet Sensation (I know, sounds slightly weird but it just works), burger meal from KFC and Pounded Yam with Efo Riro and Okra from Yellow Chilli – don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. I also have other spots that I order lunch from but the process usually requires military style planning to ensure prompt delivery of meals so that I don’t pass out from extreme hunger. Take today for example, I tried out a new place for lunch and just got my meal at about 5pm (How did I last till then, I relied on my excess fat reserve! Lol). It’s a new restaurant and there were slight packaging issues with my first order which the chef graciously corrected and sent me a new meal at no costs. (Very good customer service). The name of the place and my thoughts on the food… not yet, let’s leave that for another day after trying different items on their menu to tell you my favorite meal.

Now I also have my lunchtime Buka joints (local eating spots) and mentioning them in a single paragraph will be a great injustice so I intend to dedicate a whole blog article to them. Wink wink.

Anyway, let me know what your lunchtime favourites or combos are and which spots you’ve discovered for lunch. I will be happy to try them out!

Yours Grubbingly,

 

Grubaholic

www.tfc.com.ng

 www.utcnig.com

www.swagger2sweetsensation.com

www.yellowchillirestaurant.com

Munchies – Idowu Taylor Street, Victoria Island.

Its been a while

Hello Pips,

I'm sorry that its been a while since I've posted anything new.

I was away on a food adventure. (big smiley face)

But I'm back and yes, you get front row seats on all my juicy stories.

Xoxo

Grubaholic

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun......

I don’t get out much, well I like to have fun...sitting with my crew and gisting is my idea of good fun. But sometimes you just want to go out dancing and let your hair down..you know.

Anyway, so I dragged my friend (let’s call her M) out with me on this Friday night and we hit a couple of spots. We got tired after a couple of hours and decided to go home. Just one problem, all that dancing had left us hungry, well me more than her (stop rolling your eyes joo). I had burnt a few calories from all that dancing so I needed some food. (Lol)

Now at that time in Lagos, your options are quite limited and we were craving something with a bit of spice. Then we remembered that one of the spots that we went to, Autolounge, had an Asun (pronounced Ahh-suhn - barbequed goat made with spices and lots of chilli) dude outside. The Asun smelt delicious and it just kinda made sense to go for it.

So off we went to Auto Lounge to look for the guy and he was still there. We ordered two packs and went home. The drive home was fun as we were wacking (pidgin English for eating) the Asun with so much glee, well me more than M, she was driving. By the time we got home we were knackered and slept off on the couch.

So woke up in the morning (well not exactly, more like noonish, hehe) feeling very hungry and at that time just craved something with pepper. Then suddenly I remembered that there was asun left over and went to get it. Problem was I would still be hungry after wacking the asun but then I spied something with my little eye – freshly cooked white rice. I took a bit (huge) of the rice and spooned some asun over it and wow...it was like food heaven. It was just what I needed, the spicy and peppery asun mixed with the rice was like the perfect pick me up needed after a night out on town.

So since then, I have added that dish to my list of favs. I remember having it in Robert’s Cafe with my friends and they were like that looks weird, I said “don’t knock it till you’ve tried it”. A few spoonfuls from mine and instantly asun and white rice got a few followers.

There’s also somewhere in Victoria Island, a nice hotel called Josh Bryan, where they serve asun with dundun (fried yam). I ordered mine with some dodo (fried plantain) and trust me it was the ish. I ordered it while with a friend who was on a diet and had ordered just a bottle of water because she didn’t want to ruin her diet. But after her first bite of my food, she was hooked. The yam was well fried and the dodo was just right, you know the type that is not too ripe or too hard and tastes delicious when fried properly, yes that one. The food was yummy and before we knew it we had finished the meal. (sorry FO, i promise to support you on this diet – you are looking good already).

Asun is typically eaten alone and guys usually enjoy eating it when they are drinking alcohol. But I have seen some other combos - asun with french fries.

So what other combos are there, please share them with me ...it will be nice to try them. Also you could try asun with rice, dodo or dundun and let me know what y’all think.

follow me on twitter @grub-a-holic

Josh Bryan  - 317A Akin Ogunlewe Street, off Ligali Ayorinde Street, Lagos

Cheesy Pleasures

Hmmmmm.....Hmmmmm....hmmmmm.....that's me, yup, that’s the sound I make when I'm eating something that brings intense pleasure to my taste buds. Well, that’s what my friends tell me I sound like and they describe the look on my face as that of the fat cat that got the cream...hehehe. Well for me that's what i feel like when I munch on a very delightful grub.

So that's what this blog is about...me and my daily food adventures. What’s with the raised eyebrows, well a chic has gotta eat. Anyway trust me, everyday is an adventure to eat something delicious while trying to stay svelte and hot (wink, wink). Nothing hotter than a sexy chic who knows how to handle her food! lol. Was that cheesy? Did I hear cheese?.....that brings up some nice memories.

I was in Italy a couple of years back and had the pleasure of visiting a farm and had eating produce from that farm, all I can say is heaven! Some of the best meat produce I ever ate, pork and beef were nice and tender and they also made their own wine. I was in food paradise.

I remember eating a nice tomato salad made with the freshest produce including delicious mozzarella cheese that was made on the farm. This reminds me of one of my favorite sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwich, which tastes as yummy as it sounds.

Making it is quiet easy:

Here’s what you need

- 2 slices of freshly baked bread (white or wheat), I prefer white English Bread for this.   (Where to get the best one in Lagos, saving that for another blog post)

-      2 generous slices of smoked or Parma Ham

-      Sliced tomatoes, lettuce (daily dose of greens)

-      Generous slices of Mozarella (don’t be stingy)

-      A slice of Cheddar (adds a bit of flavor)

-      Pickled Jalapenos pepper

-      Olive oil

-      Butter

Assembling it is quite simple really:

1.       Lightly butter one side of the sliced bread.

2.       Placing the unbuttered side up, put layer of mozzarella cheese on the bread.

3.       Then, add a slice of ham, tomatoes, lettuce and jalapenos  on the bread (nothing fancy just put as much as you like).

4.       Next, are the slice of cheddar and another slice of mozzarella, top it all up with the second slice of bread, buttered side up.

5.       Place a frying pan (a nice flat one will do or one that you use for pancakes works perfectly) on the stove.

6.       Add a teaspoon of olive oil (just to prevent butter from burning). Let it get a bit hot then add a teaspoon of butter.

7.       Once it looks nice and hot (don’t let it be too hot or else butter will burn) carefully place your sandwich in the pan.

This is where the magic happens, hahaha, sorry getting excited

8.       As the bread browns , the cheese should start to melt but don’t let the bread burn, flip it over gently and let the other side turn golden brown.

9.       Once both sides are well browned (don’t burn it please) and the sandwich feels nice and gooey when poked slightly, it’s now ready to be devoured.

Eating Prescription

Make yourself your favorite drink, depending on the weather it could mean coke/sprite with ice, milkshake or cappuccino (nothing fancy, the packet ones work for me), then you get a nice movie, TV series (CSI, Private Practice, Greys Anatomy works for me) or a book, find a comfy spot on your couch or bed and tuck into your sandwich.

*PS: You might want to get the other enjoyment components ready so the sandwich doesn’t get cold…..what I like my food jare hehehe

I hope you liked it! I enjoyed mine…wink