Exploring the U.K: Torr Head scenic route, Ballycastle, Northern Ireland

We've been over to Northern Ireland so many times over the last decade yet it still surprises me when we stumble across somewhere new. It only increases my love for this part of the world. There's still so much I need to explore! On our last trip back to Northern Ireland back in October, something special happened which I'll take about more in the next post, we decided on a whim to follow the Torr Head scenic route.

The route is very well signposted but I recommend popping Torr Head in your satnav if you have one. Just to be on the safe side. Although getting lost isn't too bad in a beautiful place like as the Causeway Coast. The scenic route takes along the coast up winding and sometimes hair-raising roads to the top of a huge hill. It isn't for the lighthearted and I had to refrain looking out of the window. It didn't do my nerves very good! Keep in mind it's a narrow road and you'll have to move over to let other cars come through.

Once you make it to the top of the hill, park your car on the side of the road and start climbing! It's still a fairly undiscovered place so you'll more of less have the whole place to yourself. At the very top of the hill there is an abandoned house which isn't really that nice. But once you've given that the quick once over, start exploring some more. Don't be afraid to climb over a few fences. Just don't go to close to the edge on a windy day. You'll be able to see Scotland in the distance on a clear day. It'\s such a beautiful place to take in the sheer beauty of the Emerald Isle.

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Restaurant review: Palatino, Old Street, east London

A couple of weeks ago my favourite internet pals and I popped along to Palatino for Hannah's birthday. The reason she picked that place? The £25 deal for unlimited pasta for two hours on a Saturday. She didn't have to ask us twice to attend!

Within walking distance from the Barbican and not as close to Old Street station as it says on the website, the restaurant is in a rather obscure location in the city. It's not hard to find but it's not really surrounded by much so it feels like you have to to hunt it down. You can have the option of choosing to add unlimited prosecco for £14 per person for 90 minutes. We decided to give this a miss this time.

So what pasta can you choose from? Anything from the Primo section of the menu. This includes cacio e pepe, ravioli di zucca, bombolotti romanesco, anchovy and breadcrumbs, spaghetti alla vongole, veal rigatoni and a pasta of the day. They are more than willing to veganise any dish. My favourites included the carbonara which was the special and the delicious rigatoni. The portions looked small but in reality were great sizes for sharing. We all tucked in quite happily!

Service was a bit slow and they wasn't too forthcoming in offering you the chance to order more pasta dishes. It took quite a while before someone even took our drinks order. Luckily we were starting to get a bit full so we didn't mind the waiting. But I can imagine it will get annoying really  quick if you're still hungry. I loved the vibe of the restaurant, it had a great mix of people and lovely floor to ceiling windows, letting the winter sun in. I'm not sure I'd go back but I do think it's a great deal for £25 and I felt like I completely got my money's worth. There are just so many other different places to try in London!

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#52 recipes: Recipes 27-31

Pondicherry toast from Meera Sodha's Guardian column
I'm sure I've mentioned this before but Meera is one of my all-time favourite cookbook writers and I absolutely adore her weekly Guardian vegan column. I don't always make the recipes vegan as don't often have the right ingredients in the house but they're always made vegetarian. This was really simple to make and made a great weekend breakfast. I enjoyed it with lashings of ketchup. I could easily have eaten another round of it.

Balsamic onion focaccia from Mary Berry's Baking Bible
I have a soft spot for Mary Berry but sometimes I feel she just doesn't come up with the goods. This focaccia was really tasty and pretty straight forward to follow. But it didn't taste like focaccia. There was something missing which I can't put my finger on. I'm not sure it's a recipe I'll attempt again.

Tofu banh mi from Meera Sodha's Guardian column
Another Meera recipe! Tofu is an ingredient that I struggle with. I'm not a massive fan so I'm always looking for ways to help jazz it up. This was absolutely delicious and my favourite thing I've made for the column, We've had it twice so far which is the ultimate praise as I rarely like to cook the same thing twice unless it is for lunches. The pickled carrots and courgettes really make it. I can't seem to find my rubbish iPhone snap of this but you can see it on my highlights on my Instagram. Same with the below!

Korean-inspired tofu lettuce cups by Gimme Some Oven
This was made on a whim after we had so much tofu still left over from the above and I had raided the local Asian supermarket and finally found some gochujang. This felt really light, perfect for the warmer months. It wasn't that exciting which is a shame as usually I love stuff with Korean chilli paste in. Not one I'm in a hurry to make again.

Confit Chicken from Alison Roman's NYT cooking column
Ah Alison! My current obsession. I love the way she writes and I love how she takes really simple ingredients and turns them into something special. I could watch her on Youtube for hours. I made this one Sunday as a hands-off early dinner for some friends. Such a tasty feast with such succulent and tender chicken. A total weekend winner! The leftover oil is fab to fry eggs the next day for breakfast or roast potatoes. It keeps for a few days in the fridges.

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