[Review] Insta pig at Golden Gate Cake Shop in Chinatown, London

I have mixed comments about Chinese bakery.
Chinese egg tarts in UK are definitely better than Hong Kong because it tastes delicious and the pastry is flakey like puffy pastry compared to the weird floppy egg tarts with liquid fillings in Hong Kong.
As for the cakes, the ones in Hong Kong are terrible especially the waxy stiff cream they use and the cakes just taste weird.

To be honest, I was captivated by the piggy shaped thing at Golden Cake Shop.

I wouldn't describe it as a bun or cake because it has pandan lotus paste inside with a hard pastry which is the same as the traditional mooncake pastry.
Therefore I would expect it to taste like a mooncake without that weird savoury egg yolk.
I actually hate mooncakes because lotus paste is like a big lump of brown ear wax loaded with calories but I love pandan so definitely had to devour this cute little piggy!

Back in 2017, the piggy was only 1.70 and now it costs 3 which sadly I didn't try back then but if you look at the photos, the piggy is much more charming now.

2020!

Golden Gate Cake Shop is located on one of the side streets, spotted it before but it wasn't very welcoming as the entrance looked like a side exit and I hate confined spaces.

Finally went in and the bakery was a lot smaller inside than anticipated.

They had colourful Swiss Rolls and other bakery items but I just had my eyes on the pig.

The piggy got home intact which was good but the eyes of the piggy were mind boggling as they didn't melt or scratch and remained shiny.

It was time to eat it, so sliced it and inside was this green pandan lotus paste.
The pastry was quite thick but it kept the pig intact during its travels.
Later when I ate it, I found out that the eye was a hard black bean!

The taste of the pandan was impressive as it was really fragrant so I would definitely recommend this pig.
Pandan is like the vanilla of Asia used in Thai desserts and Singmalay dishes as well as drinks.

Personally, I thought the piggy was delicious with clotted cream because it brings out the flavours and makes the lotus paste smoother.

The eye of the pig turned out to be edible as well because it was just a black bean!

Also tried the pandan mooncake which was similar except there is a salted egg yolk in the middle.

I felt that the yolk took up most of the room and the pandan filling was not sufficient.

[Review] Oysters at Richard Haward's

There are quite a few oyster stalls at Borough Market but Richard Haward's appealed to me as it was on one side with an area reserved for customers.

It is definitely an advantage that they have some tables so that you can appreciate your oysters.
I like the way you are free to order any combination of oysters or as few as one to try.
There are three prices because you can buy them unopened, half opened or fully opened to eat there.

Opposite the oysters, there is the condiments area where they have red wine vinegar and white wine vinegar.

As I had already had lunch, I just had an oyster and a clam.
They are opened in front of you and not rinsed hence you can taste the sea water which is the delicious part.
Both were fresh and appetizing complemented by the delicious vinegar so I will definitely be back for more.

The only thing I didn't like was the odd shell fragments.
Hand disinfecting gel and tissues are also available.

[Restaurant Review] Trying the second Padella at Shoreditch

After getting addicted to pasta at Padella, I was delighted to learn that there was going to be a second branch in Shoreditch which finally opened on the 13th of February 2019.

As it was new, decided to try it as soon as possible so went there on a weekday for late lunch.
Padella offers affordable and tasty pastas which changed the scene in London.
They started off at London Bridge next to the Borough market where you will find endless queues of people going there.

Since there is a new branch at Shoreditch, I went and tried it two weeks after opening on a weekday lunch and we were seated within 10 minutes.

The layout of this place is on one floor with seating by the open kitchen, main dining area and another bar table by the other side.

The menu is much the same with the signature gnocci, pici caci e pepi and the parpadelle.

Sparkling water and Still water are complimentary.

As a fan of pastas, ordered the gnocchi, pici and tagliarini.

Started with the gnocchi with nutmeg butter which was a good start.
This has to be my ultimate favourite because each piece of gnocchi is soft and pillowy with a delicious taste of potatoes complemented by the nutmeg.

Next was the Pici cacio and pepe which looks like Udon smothered in delicious black peppery butter sauce.
Each strand is al dente with a firm texture to it.

Last but not least was the Tagliarini with dry chili and garlic.
It was good but I prefer the other one they did with Anchovy butter at Padella, London Bridge.
Still a good option for vegetarians.

Will definitely be back when they change the menu.

Padella Shoreditch
1 Phipp Street

Previous visits to Padella:

Stracci and Parpadelle at Padella - London Bridge:
https://supersupergirl-dining.blogspot.com/2020/02/review-second-visit-to-padella.html
Gnocchi and Anchovy Butter Tagliarini:
https://supersupergirl-dining.blogspot.com/2020/01/review-possibly-best-pasta-at-padella.html